Smile
by DaughterOfApollo4ever
Summary: Annabeth Chase is a princess of ancient times who has never smiled ever since her mother died. Most saw her as an ungrateful brat, but someone was able to see through that. What would a certain green-eyed boy do to make this princess smile again? Well, mostly be stupid, brave, friendly and idiotic altogether. PERCABETH A.U. Disclaimer: I only own the plot, characters belong to Rick
1. Chapter 1

**Hey guys! Okay, so this is my new story. AU. Ships include: PERCABETH, Jasper and others... Have fun reading, hopefully you like it. The good part will maybe be in the next chapter or so. Please last through this first one, hope fully this introduction will be short.  
**

* * *

A soft knock was heard from the other side of the little princess's bedroom door. The wooden door creaked open and from behind appeared the face of a lovely young woman. Her features kind and cheerful, soft, curly, brown hair tumbled down her shoulders and on top of her head was a delicate golden crown. As you can tell, she was the queen of this kingdom. Her name was Athena.

The queen crept closer to the grand bed on the opposite side of the room as she watched the sheets on the bed shift. A little girl emerged from the silver sheets yawning and stretching. Her hair was curly like her mother's, but were the color of gold. Her features were also that of her mother's, and when she opened her eyes, they were large, gray, and full of wonder and curiosity.

Athena smiled as she came to sit at the edge of the little princess's bed. The little princess yawned and greeted her mother. "Good morning, mom!" She smiled.

Athena laughed lightly and hugged her daughter. "C'mon, let's go and get some breakfast, Annabeth." Annabeth nodded and jumped off the bed, anxious to get the day started. And also because she was _really _hungry.

Her day passed by normally as it would. She was still 6 years-old, but she was adventurous, curious and was very smart. She spent the day with her mother and her father, Frederick Chase, the king. They would walk around the gardens, have lunch by a few wells, and Annabeth would sometimes adventure on her own, exploring around the gardens, picking flowers, and planting a couple of seeds with the help of the castle gardeners.

At the end of the day, Annabeth would get tucked into bed by her mother and father. Athena would tell her stories about famous greek ledgends and tales of heroes.

This particular night, Athena was going to tell her daughter about the story of Heracles. Annabeth snorted. "Heracles? You mean the most show-off of all the heroes? Mommy, tell me a different story! Something new, please.

Athena thought for a while. "But you've heard _all_ of the Greek ledgends and fairy tales I can tell you." Athena decided. Annabeth frowned. "But I want _new_ story." She whined, pouting at her parents making them both laugh

"Tell you what," Her father, Fredrick, said. " Try to go _without _a story for one night, and _you_ get a special chocolate/strawberry cake tomorrow for breakfast." He smiled smugly, knowing his daughter could never refuse the offer.

It was seriously tempting for Annabeth. I mean, strawberry _and _chocolate all in one cake? She knew how much work it would take, especially to get strawberries in this season. But she also wasn't used to not getting story-told to sleep... how _else_ could she fall asleep at night?

Annabeth studied her mother's face. For the entire day, she noticed that her mother was unusually wary and tired easily. She looked like she hadn't slept in days. A few times, she caught her father giving her mother worried glances. At first she shrugged them off, but now it was starting to bother her. Maybe her mom was really tired about all the royal buisiness she had to do...? Whatever thecase, she knew something was wrong with her mother. But she didn't dare ask.

Annabeth nodded. " Okay," She said. Her father smiled at her gratefully, for a reason she didn't know. And after a few hugs and kisses, the king and queen left...

The very next day, Annabeth woke up from her sleep to find the curtains still closed and no one around her. Did her mom forgrt to visit this morning? But, that can't be. She **never **forgets.

Maybe she's making her a special breakfast...?Annabeth felt excited at the thought. She jumped out of bed and shinnied out of her sleeping dress. She pulled on a pair of light brown pants and a white top with an orange vest. She put on her shoes quickly and headed for the door, a smile on her face.

She pushed open the heavy oak door and instantly knew something was wrong. Well, for starters, she didn't smell any food being cookeed from down stairs. That was **very **unusual.

But she did smell something. It was a bitter and noxious scent she remembered all too well. It was the winter last year when she got a fever from accidentaly rolling into a partly-frozen puddle. She got colds and the doctors gave her some sort of medicine wich tasted **horrible. **It was bitter, warm and basically just plain gross. The scent blocked up her nostrills for a week.

Nevertheless, she walked into the hallway and made her way to the grand oak doors of her parents' bedroom.

When she finally came to the doors, Annabeth heard hushed voices coming from inside the room. The left door was open just a crack, so Annabeth could still see a bit inside. She looked into the tiny opening she had and listened to the voice of her father

"-is her condition?" Her father said, a worried tone in his voice.

"Well, Lord Frederick," Started nervously who Annabeth guessed was one of the doctors. " The Queen is in a stable condition for now. B-but her condition is still critical if she would not get better in a few weeks."

"And why is that?" The king muttered through gritted teeth. For a moment, no one spoke. The king could get easily angered, especially if it comes to matters of his family. Finally, one doctor spoke up.

"We're afraid her highness has caught one of the newest and rarest unknown conditions. It is either she gets better in a few weeks, or .." The doctor paused, his voice nervous. "She-she passes away..."

The king had a disapointed and at the same time angry look on his face. He stared at his wife, who layed on the grand bed .

Athena smiled. "Frederick..." The queen croaked, her voice was worn out and tired.

" No." The king stated firmly. "You will pass through this. This is simply a trial. Athena... you will live."

He studied her face. She was already pale and sickly. She was sarting to grow thin already.

Annabeth knew what was going to happen. Her mother was going to die. Annabeth couldn't hold back the tears. She pushed open the door and ran inside, startling everyone in the room. She want to her mother's side and hugged her, crying. Her mother hugged her back tightly.

"Annabeth," Her mother whispered in a repremanding tone. But she had a smile on her face. "It's not nice to listen to adults' comversations."

"I love you, mommy. I don't want you to leave." Annabeth cried. Athena simply smiled. She was going to miss her family dearly.

**So this is the basic intro I guess. The main plot would start in the next chapter or so. So I hope you liked this, please leave a review on your thoughts and suggestions. Thankyou!**

**~Apollo'sPirateDaughter**

**~Captain Annabeth Sparrow. **


	2. Chapter 2

**.Heyllo guys! So here's the next chapter and let's see where this goes...**

**Thanks also to the people who enjoyed this story so far! Keep reading, guys.**

* * *

The sky was dark over the kingdom, adding to the gloomy mood in the atmosphere. Umbrellas started to pop open amongst the crowd of people gathered aroung the grave of the queen as rain slowly started to trickle down from the dark clouds above.

The princess stood quietly at the front, beside her father. Tears leaked from the corners of her eyes and trailed down her cheeks. It had been four months since the day they found out about the queen's illness. Everyday if those four months Annabeth would sit at the side of her mother's bed and talk to her, comfort her, and give her the medicine she needs. Though it seemed Athena was the one comforting her daughter, because Annabeth always started to cry when she thought about her mother dying.

Annabeth was silent. She didn't speak, she made absoloutly **no **sound. Her grey eyes glistened with tears. She always hated it when someone she liked leaves her. She loved her mother, and now she's leaving permanently.

Annabeth watched with sad and misty eyes as her mother's body was being lowered into her grave. "I'll miss you." Annabeth whispered before she quickly rushed back into the castle.

She ran into the doors of the castle and rushed up the stairs, ignoring the concerned calls of her father behind her. She pushed open the door to her bedroom and threw herself onto her bed .

She wept into her sheets, clutching the blankets to her chest tightly. She didn't bother to change out of her black dress. She cried and cried, silent the whole time until she fell asleep.

She was going to miss her mother dearly.

* * *

Two years.

Two years since the death of Athena Chase.

Annabeth has never smiled, let alone laugh, ever since. Sure, there were those rare moments when she was alone in her room and she thought about her mother. A small, sad smile would show upon her face wich would disappear just as quickly as it appeared. No one, not even her father could make her smile or laugh truly.

The king had just recently remarried last month. Susan, the new queen, was very nice, but Annabeth still preferred her real mother. A real mother is something more different and special than a step-mother. Susan respected that, but the king always hoped Annabeth could love his new bride as a real mother. Maybe he even hoped Susan could replace Athena in his daughter's heart. Though he knew that was impossible and foolish. He just wanted his daughter to be happy and have a normal childhood with a complete family. She was just eight years old after all.

* * *

It was a normal summer morning, Annabeth was in her room getting dressed. She slipped on a greyish button-down long sleeved shirt, a pair of light brown pants, and an orange vest over her shirt. She wore her shoes and made her way out of her room and down to the throne room.

Ever since she turned eight, Annabeth was requested to join the king and queen in an audience for any new worker assigned to work inside the palace. It was a tradition in their kingdom to have the royal family have an audience with a new worker in the palace. Most of them were old workers or slaves from outside the palace but were trusted enough to be assigned inside the palace. And it was Annabeth's"pleasure" to meet them personally. Well, atleast that's how her father would put it.

Annabeth made her way down the grand stairs wich led to the throne room. As soon as she got to the bottom of the staircase she was greeted with the smiling face of her step-mother. Her short brown hair was decorated with a delicate crown on top of her head. Her blue eyes were friendly and kind. Annabeth was okay with her, but she still missed her real mother.

"Good morning, Annabeth!" Queen Susan greeted, a smile upon her face." Ready for the audience the new servants? I hear his son is with him. Maybe you could make a new friend."

Annabeth simply nodded, a blank expression on her face. The two made their way to the thrones. The largest one had a frame made of solid gold and cushoned with red-velvet seating. That was were King Frederick was currently seated. Next to it was a slightly smaller and identical throne for the queen. Annabeth took her seat on the smallest one. It was silver and had a gold and velvet cushon.

"Are you excited to meet the new servants, Annabeth?" The king greeted his daughter as she took her seat on her throne.

Annabeth simply nodded. "Yes. Let's get on with it. I have something to attend to later."

The king sighed, the smile on his face didn't waver. He knew she was just finishing a book she started reading yesterday. Honestly, he didn't even know a child her age would be so interested in books. He didn't even know if the books she was reading was even appropriate for her age.

"Milord," The voice of one of the guards interupted his thoughts."The new workers are here. Should I send them in?"

"Yes, yes. Go ahead." The king replied. The guard bowed respectfully and exited the doors.

The trumpets sounded as the grand oak and metal doors opened. A man who had black hair and sea-green eyes who looked about thirty years old walked into the throne room. He was followed by a boy who looked almost like a younger version of him. The boy looked about the princesse's age. He had sea-green eyes, jet black hair and playful yet kind features.

The two kneeled at the center of the room. "Your highnesses, it is an honor to be allowed to work here at the palace." The man said as they both stood up. "I am Poseidon Jackson, and this is my son, Percy."

The king nodded. "I will expect you will do your work as best you can and you can be trusted well with the work?"

"Yes, Milord." Poseidon replied. " My son will also help me here in my work, if that is allowed."

"Yes, yes. So long as he does not cause any trouble."

Poseidon smiled nervously. "Ofcourse, your highness." His son was known for getting into trouble. But only because he wanted to help.

Percy, the young boy smiled at the king and queen. He looked at the princess and smiled at her too. She just stared at him blankly. He didn't know why though. He just kept smiling at her, hopefully she'll smile back. She just frowned.

'Doesn't this girl know how to smile?' Percy thought. He hated negative atmposhperes. He always wanted everyone to smile and atleast show signs of being in a good mood. He didn't understand why this princess didn't smile.

Annabeth caught his sea-green eyes. They were playful and very joyful. And Annabeth somehow found it... annoying. Not at first though, she just found it strange. Why was he so cheerful? He was just assigned to do some effortful work for almost everyday and he's smiling so enthusiastically.

Annabeth gave him a scowl as her father and his father talked. The boy only raised a challenging eyebrow, his smile unwavering. Annabeth then gave the meanest scowl she could muster, but he just smirked.

Annabeth didn't know why but she was infuriated with this boy. He was challenging her. Annabeth crossed her arms and glared at him. He then stuck his tounge out at her. She didn't feel insulted though, she felt competetive. A feeling she hadn't felt in a long time. Mostly because all the servants never tried to make her smile and she kept alone in her room most of the time.

Annabeth then gave him the meanest and most evil glare/scowl she could muster. She was pretty sure her face showed a sign of pure death and darkness.

The boy's smile faltered and Annabeth swore he gulped. Annabeth won, she smiled a triumphant grin. Her arms crossed and she held her head up high. She was smiling, her face shown victory.

And for some reason the boy smiled back. Like he was accepting defeat and was happy about it. Annabeth liked victory.

"Annabeth..." Frederick spoke next to her. His face shown pure awe. She was smiling. Annabeth, the princess who had never ever smiled since two years ago, was now smiling.

The new workers had just been dismissed and the boy was leaving. He smiled at her and waved before exiting the doors with his father.

Annabeth frowned at her father. "What?" She questioned.

"You-you just..." The king muttered. She knew it was because this was the first time he'd ever seen her smile since... since then.

"Excuse me, father. I-uh, need to go somewhere." Annabeth said as she hopped off her throne. Something about that boy interested her. She intended to find out why.

But for now, she needed to finish that book she was reading.


	3. Chapter 3

**Hey guys. Okay, so I know the story has progressed a bit too fast in the first two chapters. I'll try to even up the story pace from this chapter on. Have fun reading!**

* * *

Percy only went with his father to the palace because he wanted to help in the work. They've moved to this place in the kingdom because their farm in the country side was destroyed by the army of the neighbouring kingdom. They worked in the palace because getting home wouldn't be a problem, since the house they are living in is in the "servant' den". The "servants' den" was basically a group of ordinary peasant houses clumped together on the outside walls of the castle.

And Percy only came with his father since the law states all persons who would work in the castle must have an audience with the royal family. He didn't expect to lose in a silent fight with the princess. An evil, scary, princess who hates smiling. Percy didn't even know why.  
After the audience with the royal family, Percy and his father were supposed to meet a worker in the castle to show them around, who was also Percy's cousin. Well, that's what he was told.

Poseidon exited the huge castle doors with his son behind him. They made their way toward the courtyard in front of the castle. The courtyard had a bit of a gloomy environment. The grass was fine and the hedges were well trimmed and they formed sort of small mazes all around the courtyard. In the middle was a lake that had a small stone bridge that arched right to the other side. The waters seemed gloomy and kind of dirty, with small patches of moss forming around the edges and… was that sea-weed by the lake? Well that was out of place.

Standing there at the foot of the bridge was a girl with short, uneven dark hair. Much like Percy's but longer. She wore a normal maid's dress, a white long sleeved shirt tucked into a skirt, though hers seemed it was hand cut unt just below her knees. And from the looks of it, Percy knew she had cut it by herself.  
When the girl finally noticed the two approaching, a small smile replaced her bored expression. "You two are finally here, huh?" She said, amusement in her voice. She looked about fourteen, quite young to be serving at the palace. But then again, there was Percy…

"Thalia!'' Poseidon exclaimed, a smile on his face.  
"Uncle Poseidon, good to see you too." Thalia greeted. Then she turned to Percy, her electric blue eyes seemed to examine him, wich made Percy a bit uncomfortable. "So you must be Percy." She finally said. "Percy, this is your cousin, Thalia." Poseidon said. "She's been living here in the kingdom. Her mother, uh, passed away about three years ago."

Thalia looked a bit uncomfortable with that note, but she still kept a guarded expression. "Yes, yes. So, I guess I should tour you around the palace now, huh?"

Percy's older cousin led them around the palace for a while. She showed them the kingdom, training arena for the soldiers, the barracks and the kitchen. They then continued their tour inside the palace. "And these are the bedrooms." Thalia said when they got to a certain floor. "These rooms over here are used for any royal guests, or anyone the royal family pleases to stay there. And over there," Thalia pointed to a door wich was quite grand. It was oak and painted silver and white. "Is the princess's bedroom. Don't disturb her, okay?"

"Why?" Percy suddenly blurted out. He was still confused with the fact that this princess didin't like smiles.  
Thalia turned to him, with a mysterious glint in her electric blue eyes. "You really want to know?"  
"Uh…" Percy was double thinking this story-telling session.  
"Well, you know that the king recently remarried the current queen, Susan. Right?" Thalia continued. Percy nodded. His mom had walked him through on that several times. "Well, before, the first queen, Athena was very close with her daughter, the princess. She used to smile and laugh_ a lot_ along with her mother. Every night, Athena would tell her daughter a story. Every day, the queen would cook her a special breakfast. Until one day, the queen got ill. The doctors couldn't cure her and well… she passed away. The princess never smiled since. No one ever tried after they found it was useless. So just… don't try."  
There was a long silence after Thalia's little story. Finally Percy spoke. "Oh. So…Yeah. I get it." Percy gazed at the door of the princess's bedroom. He made her smile earlier this morning, and he will make her smile again. He didn't know why, but he was determined to do so, despite Thalia's warnings. Maybe it was Percy's habit for defying rules, but still.

Thalia nodded and carried on with the tour. While she was speaking Poseidon leaned close to his son's ear. "You're going to try, aren't you?"Percy only grinned cheekily at him. Poseidon sighed, yet he was smiling. "Sometimes I don't know if I would be disappointed or proud."  
"I'd go for proud." Percy replied, smiling as well. They continued to tour for the rest of the day. Yeah, when the time comes.

* * *

Annabeth sighed as she closed the book. She finally reached the ending. Eh, she knew the prince would die in the end. She closed the book and stood up from her seat. "Finished already, Annabeth?" The librarian said as she strolled over with a basket of books. The librarian was a nice lady who was about fifty years old. Her name was Pheobe. She wore spectacles on the bridge of her nose and an ordinary modest dress.

Annabeth nodded. "Yes, thank you." Annabeth handed over her book, a blank expression on her face. "Do you have any other good book I can read?" Pheobe thought for a while. "Well-"  
"You know what? Maybe next time. Thank you." Annabeth cut her off. She hopped of her seat and strolled out the library doors. She turned a corner and heard voices from the other end of the hallway. She recognized the one speaking. It was one of the castle maids… was her name…? Yes, Thalia. That was it. Thalia. Annabeth liked her. She helped her out when she needed certain things and was quite nice to her.

Annabeh saw she was being followed by two people. Ah, yes. The new servants and… the boy. Him again.  
"Princess." Thalia bowed when she noticed her. The boy and his father bowed too. When the boy spotted her, he smiled and waved. Annabeth simply nodded an continued on her way.  
"Well that was rude," Annabeth heard the boy say behind her. "Yeah._ Not smiling_." Annabeth sighed and shook her head lightly. He was intentionally making her hear this. And she could also tell Thalia just smacked his face from the significant "Ow!" from the boy and the "Stop it, you two.'' From the father.  
Annabeth simply shrugged it off and went on her way.  
Percy sighed in defeat. But he wouldn't give up.

* * *

**Well that wraps it up. I hope you enjoyed this chapter and keep reading! Feel free to review and give any suggestions and such. Reviews encourage me to write more! Thank you all! Please, REVIEW.**  
**-Apollo'sEpicDaughter**


	4. Chapter 4

**Hey guyz! sorry that i took so long to update! I was just kind lazy... hehe... anyway, Im here now! let's continue this...**

**Disclaimer:Rick Riordan owns all but the plot and some MINOR OCs.**

* * *

_**Chapter 4**_

"Well, I suppose your first jobs would be to clean up the courtyard." Said the head maid of the kingdom not glancing up from whatever she was writing on her desk. " It's awefully messy- uneven hedges, fallen leaves and especially that nasty pond. Hasn't been cleaned in eons.."  
Poseidon nodded as he received his first job. Percy stood next to him, quite excited, a determined grin on his face. "So that is your first assignment," The head maid said as she finally looked up from whatever she was writing, pushing her spectacles up the bridge of her nose. Percy had to admit she was quite snobbish. She was _way _too uptight on her job and was a bit too proud about it.

"Um," Percy raised his hand timidly. " Why _hasn't _the pond been cleaned in eons?"

The lady looked at him skeptically for a moment. "Should I be heard telling you this I would probably be punished." She sighed. "But... that was where the queen and her daughter used to spend the afternoon. It brought bittersweet memories to the king and the princess so... they never came near it, and the servants never cleaned it. Those lazybones thought it was quite useless to clean a place that would never be used. The king didn't complain."

" Then why _should _we clean it?" Percy asked.

"Because," the lady said impatiently as she stood up from her desk. " The king ordered _everything_ to be tidy when his cousin, the duke, visits in two days! Weren't you listening, boy?"

Percy grinned sheepishly. "Yeah um, sorry." He gave a small, nervous laugh as he hid behind his father.

"Good." She put a hand to her forehead dramatically as she slid back into her seat." Get to work then!"

.

"Hey dad?" Percy tugged on the hem of his father's shirt. "Can I help too?" "Hmm..'' Poseidon put his hand up to his chin, a small smile on his face. "Sure." He finally answered as Percy cheered. He then tossed his son a rake and a bucket. "Go clean the pond." he ordered. The smile on Percy's face disappeared as he glanced over to the dirty pond. "_Seriously?_" he whined. "But it looks like it's made of molted poo and moss! It's _gross!_" Poseidon laughed. "I thought you wanted to help? Well here's your chance."

Percy fummed. "Fine." He said picking up the fallen rake. "You always give me the worst part of the job, anyway.'' Poseidon laughed again. "Don't worry, son. I'll help.'' They both made they're way to the messy pond, rakes and buckets in hand.

* * *

Annabeth browsed through a shelf of books in the castle library. She sighed seeing as she was familiar with all the books. She needed something new to read. She's read all these books at least _twice_. "Well have you found anything you haven't read yet, Annabeth?" Pheobe the librarian asked as she walked up to the princess. Annabeth shook her head as she turned to face her. " No." She muttered. "Do you have anything new?"

"Well,'' Pheobe said, an eager smile upon her features. "We will be having a new shipment of books from the greatest authors of England. But that won't be until two months later. I'm sorry, dear.'' Annabeth sighed. "I suppose I could re-read this one again." she said as she pulled a leather-bound book from it's place on the shelf.

Pheobe gently took the book from the young princess's hands and placed it back on the shelf. "Annabeth, why don't you try to go outside. Walk around the gardens and play around the courtyard. You've barely been out of the castle." She gave a little chuckle as she said. "You've barely even been _around _ the castle! The only places you ever go to is here, the throne room and your own room! Deary me, you need to get at least a bit of sunlight on your skin, you're as pale as a ghost."

Annabeth nodded after Pheobe stopped scolding her. She almost winced because it quite reminded her of how her mother would scold her when she still read books inside even after a rainy day... Annabeth shook her head as she pulled herself out of her thoughts. _Okay. Outside it is then..._

She gave a thanks to Pheobe, deciding to go outside. She might as well get some fresh air. Why not? _Because you'll probably start seeing pained memories of your mom again,_ muttered a voice in her simply dismissed it and headed to the kitchen to grab something to eat.

As she pushed through the kitchen doors, some of the kitchen staff gasped and turned away. Probably thinking Annabeth would lash out and scold everybody like the little brat everyone thought she was. So what if she didn't like to smile? That doesn't make her a snobbish brat. They don't have any right to interfere.

Annabeth simply grabbed a few cookies from a batch on one of the wooden counters. "Thank you." She told a seemingly frightened young female servant who was standing next to the counter. Annabeth left, her blank expression uwavering.

* * *

Annabeth chewed on one of the chocolate cookies as she headed out of the throne room, wich the doors were the main entrance/ exit. She skidded along the marble floor, she took a bite from her second wich she held in her right hand while she held her third cookie in her right. As she approached the giant oak doors of the throne room, the guard who stood by the door took notice of her and started to look nervous. When she came closer, he opened the door up for her, he bowed and hid his face as she passed by.

Did people really think of Annabeth as a spoiled brat with a bad attitude? As a misbehaved princess who could make them all jobless just because meaningless temper? Annabeth already knew early on everyone thought of her as a brat just because she didn't smile and they all tried to avoid her, but it kind of bothered her. Yet she dismissed it and never payed any attention. Out of all the castle staff, only Pheobe and Thalia understood her and was nice to her. But even they couldn't give her the courage and joy to ever smile.

Annabeth walked out to the courtyard taking another bite of her cookie. She gazed over the courtyard and at the sun that was close to setting. Then she spotted the pond. The old pond where she and her mother used to sit by during some late afternoons, like this one. She saw two familiar people raking out the moss from the pond. She came closer and saw that it was the new servant and his quite annoying son. The father said something to he younger boy as he nodded in reply. Then he left, leaving the boy to clean out the pond by himself.

Annabeth walked closer to the boy who was buisy raking out the dirt in the water to notice her. She came closer until she was right behind him. She watched him as he worked so hardly and earnestly. She wondered how a boy his age could take all this work. He seemed just about her age, eight years old.

Annabeth was about to tap his shoulder to alert him of her presence when he suddenly turned around. He gave a little startled scream as he stumbled backwards and fell into the pond. Annabeth shielded herself from the splash of the disgusting water. When it was over, she peered over to Percy. He rose from the water, a patch of seaweed on his head. Wait, what? Seaweed? How did that get into the pond?

"Um.. Sorry?" Annabeth tried to apologize. The boy glared at her. "Seriously? _Why_ would you sneek up on me like that?" He complained, climbing out of the water.

Annabeth huffed. "I said I was sorry."

"Oh, right." He muttered, tossing the patch of seaweed that was once on his head into a nearby bucket. "I suppose i should accept your apology, your highness?"

Annabeth frowned. Great. The only person who had actually made her smile once now thinks of her as a rich brat. Just great.

He bent down to clean up a spilt bucket, leaving Annabeth to stand there awkwardly. After a couple of seconds, Annabeth decided to say something. "Look, I'm really sorry, okay? Sorry if you think I'm a bratty princess." She muttered looking down. The boy looked up at her. "Why would I think you're a bratty princess? Sure you're kinda scary, but definetly not a bratty." he paused to pick up his fallen rake. "Sorry for being a jerk, Princess." Annabeth could tell his apology was sincere and kind.

"Scary?" She questioned.

"Yeah." He confirmed. "Your glare, that is."

"Well you're kind of annoying."

The boy raised an eyebrow at her. "Annoying? Look, Princess, I may be clumsy on rare occasions but I am _not _annoying!" He declared.

Annabeth snorted. "Rare occasions? Says the boy who slipped in the pond."

"You scared me!" He defended.

"Scaredy cat."

"Am not!" The boy yelled as he scooped up a patch of seaweed. Annabeth's eyes widened. "You would not!"

He smirked and threw the patch of seaweed at her, wich landed right on her face. He burst out laughing and Annabeth seethed. She took an entire bucket of seaweed and moss and threw the contents at him. He was covered in moss and dirt, Annabeth couldn't help smirk at him. Instead of getting mad, the boy smiled and took another bucket. Oh, it is so on!"

Within seconds mossy water and mud were flying all around the pond as the two children fought playfully. Both of them were drowsed in the murky water of the pond from pushing each other into the water and throwing mud at each other. A smile was plastered on Annabeth's face. Maybe not as wide as the boy's smile, but it was still a heavenly sight to see. A girl her age finally having fun and smiling widely as she should.

They continued to laugh and throw mud until a voice from behind them interrupted. "Percy!" Poseidon yelled, immediately causing the mini-war between the two children cease. "I leave for fifteen minutes to throw out some buckets and you mess the place up even more?"

Percy laughed nervously. "Sorry, dad. But she started it!" He pointed at the other girl. "Did not!" She retorted.

Poseidon recognised the girl as the princess. he immediately bowed and said. "your highness, I am very sorry for what my son has caused."

Annabeth shook her head. "No need to apologize. It was kind of fun." She replied with a small smile.

He sighed. "Thank you princess. But we better clean you up or the king will have our heads." He gazed at the setting sun and looked pointedly at Percy. "You are going to clean all this up tomorrow, first thing in the morning. I swear it's messier than before."

* * *

"Hey Percy?" Annabeth said as soon as she got cleaned up and was headed for her room. " See you tomorrow, okay?"

"Sure, Princess." He replied.

"You don't need to call me that. Just call me by my name: Annabeth."

"Are you sure?"

Annabeth rolled her eyes. " Yes, Seaweed brain." Percy raised an eyebrow. "_Seaweed Brain?_ Where did you get that idea?" Annabeth pointed on the patch of seaweed on his head and smirked. "Yeah whatever, um... Princess."

"Really?" Annabeth smirked. "That's the best you can do?''

Percy had started to walk away and he pointed at her. "Revenge will come!" He declared. "Yeah right." Annabeth muttered as she headed back to her room. A soft smile crossing her features as she walked right past her father and his wide open mouth.

* * *

**Okay so that concludes this 2000 word chapter. Please leave a review of what you think of the story! the more reviews the longer the chapters and the faster! Hope you like it guys! :)**


	5. Chapter 5

**Sooo here is the new chapter. Thank you to everyone who loved this story and reviewed! :)**

**My mind is currently 90% blank, but lets see how this goes**.

* * *

**_Chapter 5_**

The sun has barely even poked an inch over the horizon, yet in the "Servant's Den", a boy was fully awake and getting dressed in his home. Percy, least to say, was excited for the day. He couldn't quite explain why, but maybe it was that he wanted to explore. He never got the chance yesterday since he woke up at high noon, so he and his father had to spend the remainder of the day working.

They hadn't even finished their work. If possible, Percy made the pond they were supposed to clean even messier than when they started.

Percy, his father, and his mother Sally Jackson, had stayed in Thalia's house. It was a simple little hut, but it had a small living room and kitchen combined into one. There were three other rooms as well. One was currently being used by Thalia, one was being used by Percy, and one by his parents.

Percy's and Thalia's rooms were small,they could fit about two beds. Sally and Poseidon got the bigger room that could fit four beds. For Percy, it was small, but snug and comfy. Though he still missed his old room in his old farm house, burned down by the enemy kingdom.

Percy was well aware of the rivalry between the kingdoms, but still he hoped it wouldn't result in war.

For this morning, Percy was all ready for the day. He walked out of his room, a bright smile on his face. He noticed no one was awake yet. He decided to take a stroll outside.

He quietly unlocked the front door of the house and slipped out, shutting the door behind him in the same quiet manner. The Servants' Den were simply a bunch of small houses, like Thalia's, all clumped together on the outside walls of the castle. It was named "Servants' Den" since almost everyone who lived here were working in the palace or _used_ to work in the palace. Some had their extended families living with them too. Thalia's house was easily spotted as having a roof made of bamboo and palm fonds woven together and walls constructed of wooden planks.

The other houses were mostly made of wood. The houses were aranged in two rows- one facing the walls of the castle, and one facing the other way with their backs to the castle walls. That left a narrow road in the middle, just enough for a carriage to pass through. Clothing lines hung from posts on the second floors of some houses, small toys littered the front doors of some houses and piles of building materials still littered the place.

Percy started to walk down the road, careful not to go too far away. The sun had just started to rise and few people were awake. Just when Percy had decided to head back the way he came, he noticed a boy who looked about a year older than him sitting in a doorway. It looked like he was strugling to stand. He tried to prop himself up on a bamboo stick, just half his height, but he stumbled and fell back into the doorway.

Percy's instincts took over and he rushed to the other boy's aid. He took the fallen bamboo cane and handed it to him. Percy slowly helped to boy up until he was standing upright.

"Are you okay?" Percy asked.

"Y-yeah." The other boy replied. "Thanks for helping me. I'm Grover, by the way."

Percy smiled and shook his hand. "I'm Percy." He introdouced himself. "What happened to your legs?" He asked, clearly curious as to why Grover's legs were bent at a funny angle.

Grover looked down, like he was remembering something painful. "Well," he finally said. "A week ago, I was walking down one of the hills over there." He pointed toward a row of small hills south west of the kingdom. They looked like they had small huts there too. "My father asked me to buy some healing herbs from the lady who sells them up there since he was sick. On the way down there's a shear drop to the bottom with lots of rocks. And also, a bunch of bullies lived there. They loved to pick on me, so I hate that place. And-and then, when I was on my way down, they showed up in the middle of the road and..." Grover had started to get teary-eyed.

"They picked on you and pushed you?" Percy guessed. Grover nodded. "I landed feet first and basically crushed every bone in my legs when the rocks rolled over me..." He gulped. "My legs can still kind of support me, but not completely. My mom wont let me walk."

Percy looked confused. "Then why are you outside?"

"Well I don't want to be stuck not walking for eternity" Grover muttered.

"That's okay." Percy agreed. "But still, we gotta get revenge on those bullies! "

"Percy, we don't have to-"

"Yes we do! Just tell me if you see them, and they'll be dead to me."

"Percy, you can't possibly beat them!"

"Oh yes I can!" To prove his point, the eight year old boy took a rock the size of his head from the ground, lifted it up and threw it down with a bit of a struggle. "See?" Percy said, quite proud of himself. "I got your back, Grover."

That made Grover smile. "Really?"

"Really. Because your my friend." Percy declared.

"I never really had friends before..." Grover mused. "No one likes me."

"I like you." Percy grinned. "So you're my friend. Okay?"

"Okay." Grover smiled. Just then, Percy noticed it was already full morning. His parents would be looking for him. He bid his goodbye to Grover and rushed off. He hadn't realized he had strolled so far away, he even wondered if he had already passed his house. After about five minutes, Percy found the house he was looking for. Then he charged straight into the door, surprising Poseidon, who was currently cooking breakfast.

Poseidon examined Percy who was panting and leaning on the door frame. He smiled at his son, momentarily forgetting the eggs he was frying."Now where have you been, Percy?" Poseidon asked his son playfully.

"Just... around... the den..."Percy panted. Poseidon gave a little chuckle and asked his son to sit down. He scooped up some water in a wooden cup, put one of the eggs onto a plate, and served them to his son. Percy immediately drained the cup in one gulp and started to eat his egg. "So," Poseidon said. "Anything you've discovered around the Den?"

"Well," Percy had said just when Sally came out of her room. She was wearing a simple white shirt and a long brown skirt, her brown wavy hair tied behind her head, her Caribbean-blue eyes. "Do tell, Percy." Sally said, as smile on her face as she headed over to the eggs that were cooking over the fire. "Have you made any friends?" Percy swore his mother could read his mind sometimes. Percy nodded and he started to tell the story of how he met Grover. When Percy was finished, his mother said. "Well, he sounds very nice. I'd be glad to meet him sometime."

Percy smiled. "Yeah. I'm gonna try and visit him this afternoon so we can play."He said cheerfully. But Poseidon shook his head. "Oh no, Percy. You are cleaning the pond all by yourself until there is not a patch of moss or dirt in sight!" he scolded. "All by myself?" Percy asked in his most innocent and pleading voice while flashing his pleading green eyes. Poseidon simply rolled his eyes. "Just eat your breakfast son."

Sally laughed as Percy pouted.

* * *

Annabeth had woke up as she usually would and quickly got dressed in her usual outfit- light brown pants, greyish long sleeved shirt, orange vest, and brown boots. She slipped out of her bedroom doors, her unreadable expression in tact. She was still thinking about yesterday, about all the fun she had. She had never experienced this kind of fun before. She decided to find Percy later. She finally reached the dining table where her father and Susan were currently having breakfast. As she took her seat, she was confused at the dumbfounded expressions of the two others at the she realized a small smile had slipped on to her features. She immediately retained her blank expression and proceeded to eat her breakfast.

"Annabeth," Frederick uttered after recovering from shock. "How- how..." Okay, so maybe he hasn't _completely_ recovered. He was still confused. Yesterday he saw his daughter actually smiling and also the other day... as far as he knew, Annabeth can _never_ smile.

"Annabeth dear?" King Frederick finally managed to say. "have you... have you met any new friends yesterday?" Annabeth was debating on weather to tell her father or not. She knew exactly what he was thinking, but she didn't know what his reaction would be to her reply. She didn't want to lose a friend. But she took her chances. "Well, actually, yes." She finally said. "We played around the courtyard yesterday."

Frederick then grinned widely, knowing her new playmate was the one who made his daughter smile. "Well, I would be very happy as to meet him one day." he declared. Annbeth shifted uncomfortably in her seat. "Um, okay." Annabeth muttered unsurely. Though she was looking forward to finding Percy again.

* * *

**Okay I am very sorry guyz that I had to cut this chapter short and with a weird end. I'm sorry if this chapter was kind of crappy** **but please leave a review and tell me what you think! Reviews encourage me to steal the laptop from mom everday... I mean write chapters! XD **

**-Apollo'sPirateDaughter **


	6. Chapter 6

**Heyyo people! So now, its time for the sixth chapter! Hooray! To be honest, I have almost nothing in mind and I'm just going to write whatever comes to mind in the next ten seconds. So thanks to everyone who reads this story! :) Have fun reading ...**

* * *

_**Chapter 6**_

Percy had been stuck cleaning the pond all morning since they got to the palace. His father had gone off to clean the rest of the courtyard, lost somewhere in the hedge-mazes. By noon, Percy had already finished cleaning half the pond. He wiped the sweat from this forehead as he leaned on his rake to catch his breath. He examined the lake and was quite proud of his progress, but still knew it would take him about the rest of the day to finish the work. He sighed and was about to get back to work, but he felt a tap on his shoulder. He spun around to meet intense a pair of intense gray eyes.

The princess, Annabeth, was standing there infront of Percy. She held a leather bound book in her hands, her curly blond hair was fixed in a pony tail and rested on her left shoulder. "Hi." She said quietly.

"Hey." Percy greeted back. "What are you doing here, Princess?"

"Don't call me that." Annabeth glared. Percy gave a small laugh. "Alright, alright." He said as he started to rake out another patch of moss. "So what are you doing here anyway?" Annabeth looked down at her boots, looking almost.. guilty.

"Sorry I got you in trouble with your dad and you had to clean all this up." Annabeth muttered. "Although you totally started it." She quickly added. Percy glanced over his shoulder smirking. "No way! You did!" He retorted.

"No you-" Annabeth sighed. "Anyway, I just wanted to help clean up the pond, since, you know, it was partly my fault." Percy looked at her quizzically. "Um... shouldn't you-"

Annabeth cut him off. "What? You think just because I'm a princess I can't clean up my own mess?" She retorted, picking up a rake that was leaning on the side rail of the stone bridge. Percy's eyes sparkled with amusement. "So you _admit_ you started it!" He declared. "Therefore it would be your own mess!"

"I also said it was _partly _my fault, so therefore only part of the mess is my own mess." Annabeth retorted victoriously. Percy pouted and continued to work. Annabeth was doing the same thing, raking out seaweed and dirt and shoving them into buckets. Though she was having quite a hard time, not used to the manual labor. A few times she struggled with pulling out the clumped up patches of moss and Percy had to help her out. She also stumbled a few times, but she managed. Annabeth wasn't afraid to get her hands dirty, she kind of had fun. Percy would sometimes randomly throw a patch of seaweed at her. Sometimes she would see it coming and avoid it, but sometimes she would get hit. When she does, she gets a patch of seaweed and throws it at him. One time, she got pissed and threw an almost solid clump of seaweed at Percy too hard the he fell into the pond. And when Annabeth tried to help him up, he pulled her into the pond with him. They'd just end up laughing in the lake, struggling to get back up while the other pulled them back into the lake. It was the most fun Annabeth ever had.

By sunset, the water was free of any moss or seaweed and the water was almost see through. The water was still slightly brownish due to years of not being cleaned. The stone bridge that went right across the pond was free of the vines and moss that had grew and wrapped around it over the years. Percy and Annabeth had been hard at work for the entire day, but they had also been fooling around with the buckets of dirt and mud, throwing them at each other, but they managed to clean that up too. Annabeth smiled as she observed the now clean pond, partly reliving old memories that had occured here. Her eyes had started to sting as she recalled all those times when she and her mother would spend the afternoon here, telling stories and wading around the waters of the lake, catching small fish and throwing them back.

That was until Percy threw a bucket of mud at her. She was covered in the sticky substance as Percy laughed loudly. Annabeth smiled evilly pushed him into the lake. Now it was her time to laugh. Percy laughed as well along with her as he allowed Annabeth to pull him up. "Thanks for helping me." Percy told her.

"No problem. It was partly my fault, anyway." Annabeth said, a smile on her face. Her grey eyes sparkled with joy, even though she was filthy.

"Sorry I covered you in mud." Percy apologized, but Annabeth doubted if we was actually sorry. "You know I was only trying to make you smile." He continued. "You should try to smile more often, so that way, people would think of you as the nice person you are." Annabeth smiled at that. "WEll, partly nice." Annabeth punched his shoulder, but she was laughing.

"You really think so?" Annabeth said, wondering if smiling would make people actually think of her as nice.

"Yeah." Percy confirmed. "You could also make more friends." Then his eyes lit up as he thought of something. "I'll introdouce you to Grover one day! He's a really nice kid around the Den. But he can't really walk."

"Why not?" But before Percy could answer Annabeth's question, Poseidon came out of one of the hedge mazes. "So you finally cleaned this up?'' He said after bowing to Annabeth.

"Annabeth helped." Percy said, pointing to the other child.

"Yeah." Annabeth said. "It was fun."

Poseidon let out a chuckle. "Alright. Thank you, Princess Annabeth. But I'm afraid we have to get home now."

"You could just stay for dinner." Another voice behind them said. King Frederick strolled casually over to the trio. Poseidon and his son bowed. "Your highness." Poseidon greeted. "Thank you, but no need."

"Dad!" Annabeth said, an eager smile on her face. "This is my friend, Percy!" She gestured to her friend. "We've been playing and working around the pond all day." The king smiled at the boy. He kneeled down to his height and whispered to him so that only both of them can hear. "You made my daughter smile. And for that I am grateful that you became her first friend." He said.

"It was no problem, your highness!" Percy replied cheerfully. Frederick laughed and stood up. He turned to Poseidon. "You must come to dinner with us, I insist."

"No need, sire. Besides, my wife would be waiting for us and she had already made dinner." Poseidon replied.

"Alright." The king replied. "But tomorrow, you and your entire family must come to dinner with us! It would be very impolite to turn that offer down."

Poseidon thought for a while and gave in. "Alright. And thank you for the invitation, sire."

"Good. Now I shall see you tomorrow, um..."

"Poseidon."

"Ofcourse. You and your son and wife."

.

After that, Annabeth bid her goodbye to her new friend, excited for tomorrow night.

* * *

**Okay, that wraps it up! Thanks for reading and apologies again if this chapter was king of short and boring. Please leave a review and tell me what you think! It's quite rushed and I was quite lazy to do this ending so stay tuned! :) leave a review please!**

**-Apollo'sPirateDaughter**


	7. Chapter 7

**Hey****llo guys! So the update is finally here. Imma go ahead and thank everyone who reads this story! :)**

* * *

_**Chapter 7  
**_

It was late afternoon, less than half an hour before the sun would start to set. Percy was sitting next to his friend Grover, who had curly, reddish brown hair and dark brown eyes resembling the bark of a tree. Percy had paid his friend a visit right after working at the castle. The duke had visited the palace today and there was a grand celebration this morning. Right after lunch at the palace with the royal family, he left, bidding his goodbye, waving out of the grand carriage guarded by the royal guards assigned to the duke's villa.

Since Grover couldn't play around because of his legs, he and Percy settled for talking and telling random jokes. Around this time, Percy was telling Grover about his experiences in the palace, and how he made the princess smile. "You see, people think of her as a mean brat," Percy was saying. "But she's really nice once you get to know her."

"SO you_ actually_ made her smile?" Grover asked quizzically.

"And laugh, too." Percy added rather proudly. Then he suddenly remembered something. "You should meet her one time! I'm sure you guys would be friends too." Grover stared at Percy as if he told him he was marrying a sock in two days. "How is that even possible?!" Grover exclaimed. "I haven't met royalty before! I have no way of getting to the palace since I can't even walk! Considering my parents would even allow me."

"Relax," Percy said. "I'll help you walk. Plus you have those." Percy gestured to the pair of wooden crutches leaning against the side of the doorway. "And if it's too far, she'd probably come here if she wanted to." Grover gave him that quizzical look again and started to explain about how royalty and peasantry works. But before he could, Percy suddenly stood up. "Sorry, Grover! I gotta go! We have a dinner at the palace tonight and dad would probably kill me if I'm not ready by sunset." Percy said in a hurry. "But it already _is _sunset!" Grover exclaimed just as Percy dashed off waving goodbye, leaving a very confused Grover sitting in a doorway shaking his head at him.

* * *

"Percy! Where have you been? I told you to be here before sunset!"

Poseidon ans Sally were already prepared for the dinner with the king and his family. Poseidon wore a long-sleeved white shirt with a ruffled collar and cuffs, a navy blue vest decorated with golden patterns, and his trusty boots. The shirt was a bit old, so it was a tad yellowish. It has belonged to Poseidon's father, who served in the army once.

Sally was wearing a simple, yet beautiful dress. It had a floral pattern in the middle and was maroon with small ruffles at the cuffs and below the skirt part. Her wavy brown hair was tied up in a bun with small loose strands still sticking out the sides, but they matched the hair very well.

Percy had just rushed inside when his mother suddenly scolded him. She grabbed his arm and led him into his room, where he was mercilessly fitted with a white shirt with ruffles, similar to Poseidon's, and a rather tiny vest the color of the sea. Then he was fitted with the regular brown pants and brown boots. The belt buckle was simple steel, but so shiny it gave the illusion of silver.

Sally took a step back to examine her son. Her hands flew to her mouth, smiling with pride. "I-I can't breath." Percy , he looked proper and quite cute. But the vest felt so tight on him he though it would crush his lungs. Sally just laughed at him and led him out for his father too see. "Well my son looks like a fine gentleman!" Poseidon exclaimed. "Though..." Sally sighed. "I swear, no matter how much I comb, wet, or oil his hair it wouldn't bend into place! It's just naturally messy." She frowned. Percy grinned innocently up at his mother, as if to say "It wasn't my fault!"

Finally, Thalia emerged from her room. She wore a simple purple dress, lined with a sparkling silver her head was a matching band of silver around her head, her hair was was actually combed into place so it fitted perfectly. Her electric blue eyes that gazed like an eagle and the fact that the dress only reached below her knees made her look like she was some sort of huntress. But if she lowered her stance she looked perfectly fine.

"Do I look okay?" Thalia asked after exiting her room. "I cant believe it still fit. Last I wore it I was only eleven years old."

Sally smiled at her. "three years later and it still looks amazing on you, Thalia!"

"Thanks."

"So shall we head out now?" Poseidon said.

* * *

They were all seated in the long, rectangular dining table at the palace. The king was seated, ofcourse, at the head of the table. On the first left seat sat the queen, next to her sat the princess, and next was Percy. On the right seats sat Poseidon, Sally and Thalia.

"I'm glad you could come!" Greeted the king. "I have the great pleasure to have this dinner with the family of the young man who made my daughter smile."

"We are very honored, your hignesses." Poseidon said.

"Percy, young man." King Frederick said. "I thank you for befriending my daughter and showing her how to have a good time."

"It wath nothing, yer majeshty." Percy said through a mouth full of turkey meat. Annabeth rolled her eyes at him, but ghost of a smile appeared on her face.

King Frederick let out a chuckle. "Let us now feast, shall we? Though I see Percy has already been feasting upon thy turkey..." Everyone let out a small laugh at this, even Annabeth, as they started to feast on the scrumptious food served infront of them.

* * *

**Okay, sorry guys. This was kind of just a filler chapter and was honestly kind of sucked. I swear upon the styx then next chapter will be better! Until then, please leave a review on what you think of the story! Thanks!  
**

**~Apollo's Pirate Daughter**


	8. Chapter 8

**Hey guys! Its meeee! So I'm on vacation right now, at a resort, and its 9:30 pm, and im bored, and i rented a computer for an hour. So, let's see how this story goes in an hour... **

**Also, again I apologize for the suckish last chapter! I was down in the dumps that day and unninspired, so this chapter will be better. Also, this chapter is VERY important for the plot. So bear with me if I haven't skipped to when they are a few years older! ((holds up peace sign))**

* * *

_**Chapter 8  
**_

"You sure you're done with your work?"

"..._yeah..._"

"Percy!"

"I'll do it later."

"...promis?"

He held up his hand, sticking outhis pinky to her. "Pinky swear." He said. She looked at him, confused. "_What?_"

Percy sighed, but he was smiling. "Here, let me show you." He said, grabbing the young Princess's hand, taking her pinky and wrapping it with his. "When you do this by making a promis, it means you can't break that promis. Ever." Annabeth raised her eyebrow. "Why not?" She asked him. "Because you just can't. It's also like a promis, but just special-er."He replied.

"That's not even a word." She told him.

He rolled his eyes. "Whatever. Anyway, I still promis."

"Um, okay... How do you do the 'pinky swear', again?"

Percy showed Annabeth how to do it another time and he solemly promised to her he would finish his work right after he showed her... whatever he was going to show to her. "It's a surprise." He had told her as he lead her off into the maze of hedges in the gardens.

* * *

The two children had come to a small corner around the courtyard. There was a small path through the hedges leading to this side of the wall. The huge sement wall was partly collapsed, and it looked quite old, with a few bricks, stones, and wood lying in a pile, makng up the wall. The sun was at it's peak, as it was high noon, but there was a fairly cool shade in that corner, small light beams, like tiny spotlights, were dancing around, poking holes through the shade. Annabeth peered upwards and saw a huge tree at the top of the pile, it's lush, green, leaves and sturdy-looking branches were casting the shade over them. Though Annabeth couldn't identify what type of tree it was.

"Annabeth." Percy called. He was gesturing toward a section of the collapsed wall. The bricks and stones on that side seemed to form steep stairway leading to the top, to the base of the tree. "Want to check it out?"

Annabeth, as a princess, should've been terrified. She should've told Percy "no" and left, her chin high and an angry complaint being yelled. Instead, she felt a tinge of excitement as a grin slowly etched onto her features. "Okay!" She told Percy. He led the way as they climbed up the rubble staircase, carefully picking on what they were stepping on. About less than a minute later, they reached the top, no one was injured, scraped, or is currently a splatter on the ground.

They were standing at the base of he tree. It was extremely huge, about maybe a hundred years old. It's roots were partly twisted, forming a pattern around the trunk of the tree, with twists and branches around. They found they were on top of a hill, overlooking the kingdom. On the other side of the hill, about twetny feet away, was a cliff, a shear drop down into a rocky river.

"Want to climb it?" Annabeth asked. Percy grinned at her as she grinned back. "You read my mind." He stated.

* * *

About fifteen minutes, a broken branch, and a couple of scrapes later, Percy and Annabeth had reached a very high branch, just a couple of feet from the top of the tree. It was the biggest branch, and it looked the sturdiest. It was easily eight feet accross. The branch had kind of curved depression so it formed a boat-like hole in the branch wich four people could easily fit in. Percy and Annabeth were now sitting in that light hole, staring accross the stretch of the entire kingdom below them. The view was perfect, the breeze was wonderful, and theleaves provided a perfect shade, allowing small beams of light to dance bothstared for a long time, until Annabeth broke the silence. "Wow." she said. "This is... this is amazing." "So... do you wanna hang out a bit here?" Percy offered.

They spent an hour just talking ang playing on that tree branch. They had decided that would be their official hang out spot.

"Promis that this place will be for us, and _only _us, and no one else may come here?" Annabeth said.

"You also have to promis that exact same thing, okay?" Percy countered. They agreed with each other, and concluded with a pinky swear. From now on, that would be the place where Percy Jackson and Annabeth Chase would meet and have fun and simply hang out if they wanted to. It would be their sacred spot in wich no one is allowed to go to, but them. And _only_ them.

* * *

**Sorry for the shortness. This computer has a time limmit... but i did it as best i could. Plus, im in "the mood". So I hope you enjoyed it, the next chapter will be comming up soon! So stay updated! I'd probably post it about next week. That is all for now! Bye guys!  
**

~Apollo'sPirateDaughter (now in a 'Pirates of the Carribean themed resort... MY LUCKY DAY! :D )


	9. Chapter 9

okay** so it turns out this chapter comes out early. Its 1 AM. SO I couldn't sleep and i feel i just have to write this. Again, thanks to you all fir reading and dont forget to review please! :)**

* * *

**Chapter 9**

As the years passed by, Annabeth and Percy grew closer together. The royal family was grateful to Percy, and at times, Annabeth would visit Percy's family and they would take good care of her. So far, the two have kept their promis and the huge tree that stood on a cliff by the side of the castle remained untouched by anyone else but the two, no matter how much friends they made .

Thalia and Grover had became friends with Annabeth as well, and they would usually play around with her and Percy. And about three years ago, Thalia and Sally were walking down the street after going to the market when they found Jason- Thalia's long lost little brother. It was a long story, but Jason got settled in Percy's room and they shared it ever since.

There was also Nico DiAngelo, Percy and Thalia's cousin. He was only 9, but he was sent to live here in the kingdom by his father, his mother had been killed when he was young, and for some reason, his sister Bianca was living back in New Orleans with their father. But even though, he was still playful.

Percy, Annabeth, Grover, Jason, Thalia and Nico were usually in a group, hanging around in the palace or around the Den, but Percy and Annabeth were especially close friends. No one could separate them. Ever.

* * *

"PERCY GET DOWN FROM THERE!" Annabeth screamed at the top of her lungs, but Percy still wouldn't listen. He was working his way up the branches of their tree because he spotted something amongst the leaves. Annabeth was now desperately trying to get him down, screaming from her place on a branch a few feet higher than their special branch.

They were twelve now, but Annabeth was pretty sure a twelve year old boy would still be heavy for a few branches that might break.

"Percy get back down here! You don't even need a white flower!" Annabeth screamed. "I'll be back! Don't worry." Percy reasured her, still working his was upthe branches. "I can climb this easy. Just- WOAH!" A branch had broken under Percy's right foot and he slipped, but he managed to set foor on another branch. Annabeth had let out a small shreik. Percy grinned at her . "Scared, Wise Girl?" He smirked. He had come up with that nick name for vengance, it was an utter failure at the time, but he was accustomed to using it.

Annabeth glared at him. " Just don't die or I swear I'll kill you myself. And I don't CARE if there isn't any logic in that at ALL."

Percy laughed at her. But that loss of focus for just a bit caused him to slip, and in a split-second, he went sliding down the tree, hitting branches and scraping himself accross the trunk. Luckily, he stopped himself from splattering onto the floor and swung his arm along a branch, causing him to land perfectly in their special branch.

"Gods, Percy!" Annabeth exclaimed, jumping down from the branch, landing gracefully on her feet onto their branch. Annabeth helped Percy up . He had a few wounds, his left elbow was bleeding, he had a LOT of scratches on his arms, legs, and face aswell. But he was grinning. "You Seaweed Brain! What were you thinking?!" Annabeth scloded him, her stormy grey eyes glaring into his very soul. But he was still smiling.

Percy held up a peculiar looking flower. It's petals were white, but had tinges of grey creating a beautiful pattern, matching Annabeth's eyes. "For you, milady." Percy bowed playfully, handing the flower to her. She blushed a bright shade of pink, taking the flower. "You... you got this for me?" She muttered in disbeleif. Percy nodded. "Yup. I thought you'd like it."

"And you almost died just trying to get it!"

"So?"

"So everything! You risked your life just for a flower!?"

"A flower for you ."

Annabeth stared at him. He was serious. Annabeth's mind drew an absolout blank. He did this for her? But it was just a flower... a beautiful greyish white flower. Annabeth's favourite blend. And it seemed to glow in the sunlight. "Th-thanks." Annabeth finally managed to say . "That was really sweet of you." She smiled as Percy smiled back, slowly putting the flower in her hair.

"Please promis me you won't do that again." Annabeth groaned. "Don't ever put your life at risk for something like that. Please."

"Alright." Percy agreed, wrapping his pinky around her extended one. "It's noon. We should get down now, dad will be looking for me."

"And Jason will kill you for not helping him go to the market with Thalia."

"OH GODS RIGHT." Percy exclaimed, quickly scrambling down the tree, nearly killing himself again. "PERCY!" Anmabeth screamed.

* * *

Annabeth followed closely behind Percy as they carefully sneeked into his house. They were only a few steps from the room to Percy's door when suddenly, the door swung open violently. A ten year old boy with blond hair and sky blue eyes came barging in the door, a basket of vegetables in one hand, and a basket of fish in the other. He looked furious, glaring right at Percy. " WHERE WERE YOU?" Jason Grace screamed. "How dare you make me carry all these stinky baskets, following Thalia around the slippery market, and faceplanting on fish?! You said you'd be there! You backstabbing little-"

Before Jason could finish his rant, Thalia barged strait throught the dorrway, her electric blue eyes looked furious and ready to kill. In short, it made Jason, Percy, and even Annabeth cower in fear- but mostly Jason. "I_ told you _to not buy the fish for more than _two shillings_! And now we're bankrupt!" Thalia scolded jason.

"But-but it was only two m-more shillings." Jason stammered. "A-and the man said th-they were in g-good quality!"

"Ugh! _All_ fish quality are the same! " Thalia huffed. "Just... Just go and clean the fish out the back." Thalia then went to store away the newley bought goods.

Percy was laughing at Jason, and Annabeth stood next to him shaking her head. "Sorry Jase!" Percy said, barely able to contain his laughter. "I'll come with you next time."

Jason rolled his eyes. "Yeah right. You'll just be on a date with Annabeth again." He muttered, strolling to the kitchen.

Percy flushed a bright red. "_What?!_ No! I mean- I don't.. we can't... Ugh! Jason get back here!" He stammered, but Jason was already out the backdoor. Annabeth was laughing at Percy as he crossed his arms, but a small grin was etched onto his features. "Whatever." He muttered under his breath.

"Hey Percy, I gotta go. Dad will be looking for me and I also have classes tommorow so I probably wont get to see you." Annabeth said. There were some occasions when Annabeth's classes were taking up her entire day so she couldn't have time to play, and it sucked for both of them.

Percy suddenly looked alarmed. "No- wait!" He called, stopping Annabeth from exiting the door.

"What is it?" She asked.

" I- uh... I need to tell you something."

"Percy can it wait until the other day?"

"It's _important!_"

"Fine. How about tommorow? Sunset, at the tree, okay? I just really have to go now."

"Promise you'll come?" Percy asked, holdong out his pinky, a serious expression on his face.

"Promise." She wrapped her pinky with his, and headed out the door saying goodbye. If only she wasn't in such a hurry, she would've already asked what he was going to say, but he looked hesitant himself. She ran for the castle, Percy's statement still bothering her.

But her father would _kill _her if she was late. He might not even let her out tommorow. But still, she would find out tommorow, sunset.

* * *

**Okay sorry guys to stop here! I'm in a hurry myself, I just wanted to publish this. Oh, if you're wondering: no Percy won't tell her he loves her. He's still too innocent for that... i think. Meh. Anyway, please please please please REVIEW.**

**~Apollo's Pirate DAughter**


	10. Chapter 10

**Hello people Update time once again! I still forgot to mention that there is no definite or regular update time. I update when I have the time to update or when I can get the laptop. But I am sure to update atleast once a week. And I also apologize for the mispelling of "promise." Sorry 'bout that.**

**Thanks for reading guys! Enjoy...**

* * *

_**Chapter 10**_

Percy was in his room, sitting on his small bed next to Grover who had visited him that afternoon.

"So you didn't tell her?" Grover questioned his friend. Percy shifted nervously. "Um, no." he said. "Not yet."

"But why didn't you tell her, then? "

" 'Cause she might get mad and not talk to me until the tomorrow!"

"Well at least muster the courage to tell her later.''

Percy didn't say anything as Grover looked at him expectantly. Grover looked him straight in the eye, then Percy sighed, rolling his eyes. "Fine." The green-eyed boy mumbled. Grover gave him a satisfied look. "Good."

Percy glanced out his rather big window in his small room. A grown man could crawl through that window, and only two wooden shutters with rather wide, rectangular holes that allowed air kept the window shut at night. Percy looked up at the sky and saw that the sun was almost starting to set. Instead of beaming like he usually does when he comes to meet Annabeth after her day-long classes, he looked glum, staring down at his feet. He sighed. He tried to convince his parents otherwise, but sadly they needed to.

* * *

_Oh, finally! _Annabeth thought with relief, sitting down on her chair as her dance teacher said. "Class dismissed, Princess Annabeth." With her rather snobbish British accent, matching her _very _snobbish personality. Annabeth lightly massaged her tired and strained legs. Ugh, is it even necessary for princesses to learn "proper dancing" every day of their lives, holding a single pose for fifteen minutes? She wasn't even sure if she could still climb the tree after holding a plie for half an hour.

Oh how she _hated _ballet.

"Well, at least I can finally head to the tree." Annabeth muttered to herself as her final teacher left. She glanced out the doorway to her balcony, watching the sun set. Annabeth suddenly remembered the thing Percy was supposed to tell her yesterday, and she grinned widely. She quickly stood up, and immediately fell face-first into the silver floor carpeting of her room. Her legs had gone completely numb after the torturous ballet class. She did not mind the reading, computing, and even etiquette. But dancing... ugh. She was a _terrible _dancer. If she should dance with Percy one day... her cheeks flushed red.

_Shut up._ She scolded her brain and stood up wobbly, attempting to get to her unreasonably huge closet. Why would she even need that many clothes?

* * *

Annabeth peered up at the tree. She saw a figure sitting at the edge of the biggest branch. Percy.

He was sitting at the very edge, one arm wrapped around the branch extension, staring at the setting sun.

Annabeth quickly scurried to the ropes. Yes, _ropes. _You see, Percy had once made his first successful rope ladder, using a hammer, huge nails, wood planks, and ofcourse, rope. Wich Annabeth just _knew _he stole from the docs. He really loved the ocean, and often was at the docks. He said the ropes were 'unused'. Yeah right. But she let it slide.

Annabeth climbed the surprisingly sturdy rope ladder. If Percy made anything that actually lasted for more than five minutes, usually, he got help. But this thing... his father taught him,but this he made himself.

When Annabeth finally reached the branch, she stood for a while, breathing in the fresh air. Until Percy broke the silence. "Hey, Annabeth." Percy greeted, but his face looked downcast for some reason. Annabeth frowned. Percy usually wasn't like this.

Annabeth sat down, as Percy sat across from her. "What is it?" She said, wasting no time in asking. She suddenly dreaded what Percy was going to tell her, but her curiosity reigned over her once more.

Percy looked hesitant at first. Then he locked eyes with her, stormy gray eyes challenging sea-green ones. "Well... you see..." Percy mumbled. "Um, my father... he... he h-has to ..." Percy took a deep breath, bracing himself.

"We have to leave town." He blurted out. "WE need to travel back to the old farm, then to New Orleans, then to London... well,everywhere, actually. I tried to tell mom and dad I could stay behind if they _had _to go. But all of us have to go. Only Thalia and Jason will be staying behind and they said it was really, _really, _important to go. I really want to stay, but we have to go. But we'll come back... I promise, we'll come back." he paused. "I'll come back."

Annabeth stared at him, processing everything he said.

"You're _leaving?"_ Annabeth said slowly, as if she wasn't sure of what she just heard. Percy flinched. "You said we'd be friends forever!" Annabeth screamed. "You-you said... you said you'd always be my friend! You promised!"

"I know." Percy replied calmly. "Just because I'll be gone for a while doesn't mean we won't be friends. And I intend to keep my promise, like how I keep all my other promises. Tell me, Annabeth, have I _ever _boken a promise?'

Annabeth sniffled. "N-no..."

"Then trust me." Percy told her, staring straight onto her eyes. "I promise, I'll come back to you. Okay?"

"Okay." Annabeth finally said.

They wrapped their pinkies together, a sign of another promise to keep. And Percy silently vowed to everyone and everything he knew he'd come back. No matter how long it takes, he'll find a way.

* * *

Percy and Annabeth were at the balcony leading to Annabeth's room. Staring up at the night sky. Millions of starts glittered on the horizon, like tiny sequins over a blanket of darkness.

"So when are you leaving?" Annabeth asked.

"Tomorrow." Percy replied."Noon."

"For how long?"

"Maybe a year... I don't know. It's a long journey."

Annabeth stayed silent.

"I'll miss you." Percy told her. "I'l miss you too, Seaweed Brain." Annabeth said, no humor in her words.

"Just try not to be such a Wise Girl."

"Shut up."

Percy laughed, and Annabeth had to grin at that. Hey, he said he'd some back, right?

"Do me a favor, Annabeth." Percy said, turning serious.

"What?"

"Even when I'm gone..."

Yeah?"

He gave her a small glance. "Smile."

* * *

**AND CUT! ** **That's a wrap, people!**

**I'd always wanted to be a director though. **

**Anywayz, thanks for reading guys! Please leave me a review on the story! Thanks! :) PLEASE REVIEW! *cue un-piratey kitten begging face***

**~Apollo'sPirateDaughter**


	11. Chapter 11

**Heyloo guys! Time to update now. I ain't sure how this will go, my uncle is bugging me right now, so bear with me if this turns out kinda suckish. **

**Also an answer for Guest Lils:Well, the distance between my updates is a week at most, and at least 2-5 days. I have no definite update schedule, but like I said, I'm not sure. But I update at least once a week. :)**

**Answer for Swan Destiny: yep, the plot is quite off-course from the books. I'll be sure to add alot of plot twists, thanks for reading! :)**

**Let's get tit on! :)**

* * *

_**Chapter 11**_

_Resent. Hate. Worry. Loneliness._

These were all the things Annabeth felt as she sat in her room, tears threatening to fall out of her eyes. She sighed heavily and let herself fall into her bed, staring up at the canopy over it. First her mother, now Percy. But he would come back, at least that's what he _said._ The twelve year old princess layed on that bed for the rest of he day. Unmoving and alone. But she never slept. Somewhere during that time, the tears she'd been holding in had broken through, trailing down her cheeks and seeping into the silk sheets.

Why do people always leave? Why can't anything be permanent? Why can't anyone stay in her life permanently?

She hated it. The perfectness of everything, in all their glory and beauty, and in a few short moments, they fade away, disappear. Annabet had decided that one day, she would find a way to make something permanent. To _build _something permanent. She would build it from scratch, making it grow until it's strong enough, proving it's strength and invaulnerability, _then _she would know it would last forever. _Then _would her dream, her wish, come true.

But right now, she just needed Percy. But he was long gone.

* * *

"It'll be okay." Sally Jackson told her son after a few moments of silence. He was simply sitting there, staring at nothing, a far away look in his sea-green eyes. Nico, Sally and Percy were in a carriage with only a make shift canopy of cloth overhead to shield them from the sunlight. Their belongings and some food were scattered around the wooden carriage with the two. It was drawn by two horses, the only animals that were left from the old, burnt down farm of the Jackson Family. Not counting Loraine the chicken, of course. Percy had seen her running with her tail lit up during the fire. The sight was so halarious he had to laugh.

As if the chicken knew what he was thinking, it angrily pecked Percy's knee. "Ow!" He jumped. Sally and Nico laughed and gave the starving hen some grain.

"She's telling you stop being so glum." Poseidon laughed from his place in the front of the carriage.

"No." Percy muttered, rubbing his knee. "I just forgot to feed her this morning... and took her eggs the other day... and laughed at her when I saw her tail on fire at the farmhouse before..."

"Well you've made an enemy of a chicken, Percy." Sally chuckled lightly. Percy smiled, but it disappeared as soon as it appeared. Sally gave a frustrated sigh at her son.

"C'mon, Percy. Stop looking so glum! I know you'll miss the kingdom and all, but we shall come back! You'll get to see Grover, Thalia, Jason and Annabeth again. " She told him. "Just think about looking forward to our return, alright?"

Percy simply nodded. " Alright."

Nico was busy playing with Loraine the chicken, Sally was knitting a blanket from a ball of brown wool, Poseidon was steering the horses,while Percy just sat there an thought. Then he immediately thought of Annabeth's reaction.

_"Ha. You, thinking? Yeah right, Seaweed Brain."_ She would've said. He sighed in frustration. Thinking sucks.

* * *

About six hours later, they pulled up for their third stop. But this time, it was in a small town. They parked their carriage by an inn as Poseidon reigned the horses and gave them water. He loved the horses and they loved him back. When Poseidon told Percy that when he was little, he thought his mother would get jealous.

"Percy! Percy!" Nico called to his older cousin, running forward with glee. "Uncle Posy told me we were just a day or two from New Orleans! We'll see Bianca again!"

"Percy raised his eyebrow. "Posy?"

Nico laughed. "Yeah, that's what I call him now! 'Poseidon" is a mouthful. "

Percy chuckled and shook his head. "Well then, you'd better get some rest. Bianca wouldn't want to see you looking like a ghost.''

* * *

"Nico... I'm-I'm sorry but..." Hades shook his head. His dark, scraggly beard and sunken eyes looking the same as always. "It's... It's an inevitable thing...sickness... I'm sorry but..."

"Nico," Percy cut in, wanting to be there for his little cousin. "Bianca's dead. I'm... I'm sorry..." They stood, outside of Bianca's room.

Nico shook his head, tears brimming in his eyes, staring at the two with horror. "No.. No! You're lying! Liars!" He screamed."

'Nico, a plague had settled upon this town. I wanted both of you to leave, but Bianca wouldn't go. She insisted she was old enough, so you had to go alone instead. " Hades explained. "She was fearless and brave, wanting to stand beside those in need in this town."

Nico didn't listen to his father's words and pushed passed them, running in the door and staring in horror at his sister's lifeless form on her bed.

* * *

\- earlier-

_"Percy, I need to show Nico something. Do you mind guarding Bianca for a while in her room?" Hades asked his nephew as his parents were at the market._

_"Alright." Percy said courageously. _

_"Promise nothing bad would happen to her?" Nico asked. "I promise." Percy reassured him, going back into his cousin's room._

* * *

"YOU PROMISED!" Nico screamed. "You said nothing bad would happen to her! You said-"

" I know what I said. Nico, I'm sorry. I didn't-"

"NO! I hate you! Go away!"

"Nico..."

"Percy. " Hades cut in. "Maybe it's best if you leave him alone for now."

Percy felt horrible. He knew he couldn't stop death, but he still felt as if there was something he could've done. Nico had every right to be mad at him, he knew he promised. He should've found a way to save her. To stop her death.

"Nico, I'm sorry." He pleaded one last time. His cousin stood over the body of his deceased sister, his back to Percy. "Just leave." He muttered, his voice cracked and shakey, but also filled with anger and hatred.

Percy _really _wished they didn't have to leave.

* * *

**Oh gods I almost regret what just popped into my mind. Okay, I really didn't intend for Percy to be blamed, but it sorta just... happened. Hehe. Sorry everyone. But Nico will forgive him... eventualy. hehe. From this point on, the entire plot will be according to plan and I swear, the plot is _different _from the books. It's was just necessary that Bianca died... for some reason...**

**So tell me, Reynico or Solangelo? It will be one of the minor ships in this story, so I'll let you decide. ;)**

**~Apollo'sPirateDAghter**


	12. Chapter 12

**Okay, I wrote this chapter two days back on my phone and I am just gonna upload this now because I just got the laptop now.  
**

**Thanks to everyone who read and reviewed. I love you all! ^_^ Let's get on with this! And there shall be some Reynico in the future, just to let you now.**

* * *

The thirteen year old boy sat on his small bed, staring off into space, lost in his thoughts, regardless of his messy jet black hair and distant sea-green eyes. He was wallowing in his misery because he got sick when he accidentally fell into the sea while fishing the other heat plus sudden coldness equals a nasty fever. He was so wrapped up in his miserable thoughts didn't even notice the door of the small cottage open and slam shut.

"Percy," a voice chimed, causing him to snap out of his thoughts.

"Huh?" He looked up to see the smiling face of his mother. Her ocean blue eyes sparkling with excitement and long brown hair tied in a bun. She set her basket down on a small counter and dusted off her blue skirt. "You'll be excited for what I have." Sally chimed, emptying the contents of her basket.

"Mom, I know I'm sick, but I seriously don't need gross tasting medicine right now." Percy groaned, falling back down on his bed.

"Mhmm." His mother nodded, searching through all the vegetables in her basket. "AHA!" She suddenly exclaimed, causing Nico, who was just getting ready for bed, to fall out of his bunk bed above Percy.

"Can't a boy get any sleep?!" He grumbled, rubbing his head. Sally didn't pay attention to him and rushed over to a laughing Percy.

"Here. " she placed two sheets of writing paper, an ink cartridge, and a feather quill on her son's lap. "I traded them for the expensive squid and crabs you and you're father fished out the other day."

Percy's eyes widened. "Mom, I-"

"Yes, now you'll be able to send a letter back to you're girlfriend in the kingdom." Nico cut in.

Percy blushed a bright shade of red, wich was obviously not the cause of his fever. "Nico, I told you! Annabeth's NOT my girlfriend!"

"Yet." The younger boy grinned, climbing back into his bed.

"Oh, and also.." Sally dug into the pockets of her apron and quickly pulled out a small wooden carving. "I had some sealing traded, and this is you're father's carving of the kingdom seal. That way, we'll be able to send this directly to the king. Surely, he won't mind."

Percy grinned. "How long would it take for a letter to get to the kingdom?" He asked.

"Oh, " Nico replied from his bunk atop his cousin. "About a two to three months or so."

"Perfect."

* * *

It has been two years since Percy left the kingdom. And ever since then, the princess had grown back to becoming distant and lonesome, spending her days in the library, roaming the gardens, or in the special tree wich she and her friend used to share. She still smiled, but anyone who looked closely could tell they were fake. Her shoulders slumped, the corners of her mouth would tilt up ever so slightly, and her eyes would hold no emotion. Her father worried about her, and so did his wife. They still had hopes that maybe one day, another blessing would come for their daughter, and that it would stay permanently.

One morning, Annabeth had gone to the tree early. She woke up before sunrise, bathed herself and put on her regular clothes. After grabbing a cookie or two from the kitchen, she crept outside the castle doors and slipped in between the hedges. She found her path and followed it, marked by a blue painted stone at the opening. Soon, she came around a corner and found the ruble staircase, wich had been moved more so that it resembled actual stairs. She climbed for about a minute, reaching the top of a grass carpeted hill upon where the huge tree sat.

Annabeth found the rope ladder and started to climb once again, reaching the top just as the sun had barely risen up over the kingdom. She breathed in the morning air wafting over her. She spread her arms wide, taking in the view. A smile stretched across her face, her grey eyes sparkled and her features were alive. In the orange light of the rising sun, she seemed to almost glow, like a goddess. Here she felt free, and she felt happy.

After a while, she sat at the outmost part of the biggest branch, clinging onto an oustretched, smaller, but sturdy branch. She traced her finger over the carving that she and Percy had put there three years ago. Percy had carved his name on that branch for fun, claiming it was his. So Annabeth took her own knife and carved in her's, just below his, claiming that it would belong to both of them. And needless to say, they both agreed to it.

A tear rolled down the princess's cheek, remembering her old friend. Thinking about him just made her feel comforted, reliving memories almost as if he was there, but then she'd wake up to the harsh reality that he wasn't. He wasn't there. He may never will be. But she still clung on to the small chance of him coming back. After all, he did promise, and Perseus Jackson never broke his promises.

It was almost noon when Annabeth came down. Her parents knew she tended to dissapear on some mornings and come back close to lunch time, bit sometimes they were a tad worried.

As Annabeth entered the main doors, she headed for her room, up the right staircase. That is, until her parents anticipated her. They were waiting atop the staircase, with Susan holding a two-layered, silver cake. Small blue and grey designs rounded the cake and a carving of a small owl figurine painted grey sat atop the cake.

" Happy Fourteenth Birthday, Annabeth!" Frederick greeted.

"Um, thanks, guys. But you really didn't have to." Annabeth replied, but honestly, she loved the cake, and Frederick could clearly see that. He smiled broadly.

"Here, make a wish." He lighted the small candle Annabeth hadn't noticed was infront of the owl.

She complied, closing her grey eyes for a breif second before blowing out the candle, leaving the scent of smoke lingering in the air. And she found the scent quite pleasant.

"A gift for the young lady." Susan grinned, her dark blue eyes sparkling as she handed over a small, white envelope that bore the seal of the kingdom. Annabeth took the envelope and saw the small scribbling at the back.

**_For Annabeth Chase, Princess of Olympia_**

**_From, Percy Jackson_**

She gasped. "No way..." she muttered under her breath. Seaweed Brain, she thought, I hope you didn't write this yourself or I could never read it.

"Well, go ahead." Her father urged. Slowly, Annabeth opened up the envelope, tearing up the seal in half. She pulled out a neatly folded piece of paper and undid the folds. She stared at the scribbling of black ink on the paper before continuing to read.

_**Dear Annabeth,**_

_** I hope you'll get this by your birthday, so I'm just going to go ahead and greet you Happy Birthday! So how have you been doing? Are you doing fine without your beloved knight in shining armour (me) there? Ha, just kidding. I really miss you guys at the kingdom, I wish I could come back right this instant, but it looks like we're a long way from the kingdom. I still want you to have a happy birthday and try to smile, alright? Have you kept your promise? I hope you have Wise Girl, because it would be unfair if I did and you didn't. But hey, I promise to keep my promise. Great, now I have two promises to keep. Look what you made me do!**_

_** But even if I'm sick right now, laying in bed relaying all of this to Nico (who by the way is awesome at writing stuff), I wish you happy birthday for the third time. Enjoy it, okay? Have fun, I'll be back there when I can. Remember: keep smiling! **_

_** From, your Seaweed Brain best friend,**_

_** Percy**_

When Annabeth had finished reading, tears had streamed down her face, and a small smile had found it's way across her features. She wiped the tears from her eyes, but her smile remained. She folded back the paper and tucked it back into the envelope.

She looked up at the strange, smiling faces of Susan and Frederick."We received the letter the other day." her father told her. "Susan insisted to not open it and save it for your birthday. Well, the struggle of waiting was _very _worth it."

"Th-thanks." Annabeth managed to say. "I love you guys." she hugged her parents, surprising them at first, but then they got over the shock and hugged the princess back.

"I love you too, Annabeth." Frederick replied. "Now, do you want a birthday ball or not? WE could always cancel like all those other times..."

Annabeth thought for a moment or two before answering. "No," she concluded. "Let's have the party, but just with friends and close relatives, okay? I don't want it to be too huge."

Susan smiled. "Great!" She exclaimed. " Let's get the streamers and the-"

"No." she suddenly cut in. "_I _want to plan this party."

"Alright." Susan said, a bit dissapointed. Then she called to the maid Annabeth hadn't noticed was standing close by. "Tell the planner, Aphrodite, the party's cancelled. Give her the apology letter." the servant nodded and left immediately.

"Aphrodite?" Annabeth questioned.

"Yes, I hired a planner." Susan said. "But that's enough. You have about five hours for planning! You better hurry, Annabeth."

Annabeth grinned mischeviously. "I only need two."

* * *

**Okay, now we're done with this chappie. The next one will be posted as soon as possible! Stay tuned, my lovlies!  
**

**~Apollo's Pirate Daughter**


	13. Chapter 13

**Heyyo guys! So its about the middle of the night now and I just needed to write a small filler chapter a teeny bit essential to the plot to clear things up later. Im sorry the Percabeth reuniting isn't here yet, but i swear, it will be in the next chapter! :)**

* * *

**_Chapter 13  
_**

It wasn't even dawn, the sun hadn't risen over the kingdom of Olympia yet. But in the tall and proud castle standing at edge of this kingdom, someone was awake. Or at least, waking up.

A groan escaped the princess's lips as she slowly arose from her bed. She sat up on her matress, swinging her legs onto the side of the bed blindly. She rubbed the sleep out of her eyes and examined her surroundings. It was still very dark in her room, yet she felt she didn't want to go back to sleep. But she also didn't want to sneak outside the castle in the middle of the night.

She sighed, turning on the oil lamp on the table by her bed side. The light illuminated the room, just enough for her to see where she was going. After all, her room was quite large.

Annabeth stood up, propping up her semi-loose night gown up on her shoulders. She started to walk towards the doors to her balcony. Dragging back the silvery drapes and opening one of the doors, she stepped outside, filling her lungs with the cold, fresh air. She starred up at the moon, high up in the evening sky. Then suddenly, she gasped. She had forgotten... oh how had she forgotten...

How in all hell could she have forgotten?! Then again, what could she do if she didin't forget? Build a shrine? He's just far away, not dead.

But seriously though, how could she have forgotten Percy's birthday?!

She breifly considered sending him a letter, but she didn't know where he lived nowadays. The letter said nothing about where he lived exactly. All her parents said the letter was shipped from london.

She sighed deeply. "Happy birthday, Seaweed Brain. I miss you..." she whispered silently, half hoping the wind would carry her voice away. She wished the wind could carry her voice all the way to london, all the way to Percy. Just to let him know she didn't forget completely.

* * *

"Hey, Percy." The dark haired boy called to his cousin from his bunk bed atop his.

"What?" The boy below answered.

"Happy birthday!" The younger boy greeted, as cheerfully as he could muster, which wasn't much.

"Gee, thanks for greeting me twenty hours later." His cousin muttered sarcastically.

"Hey, what was I supposed to do with you fishing and Aunt Sally dragging me around the market!?"

"I never asked to be a fisherman." The older boy shrugged. " Sure, I enjoy the sea, but that wasn't my dream."

Nico rolled his eyes, knowing Percy couldn't see him. "Then what is your 'dream'?"

"The one all parents fear for their children to submit to."

"Knight?"

"Yep. Hey, you're the one who said you wanted to be a 'knight in shadowy armour'."

"Hey, is finding black armour that hard?!"

"Yes. Is finding blue armour hard?"

"Oh, definetly."

"But really. " Percy said seriously. "Being a soldier in the palace... being a soldier in Olympia. Now that's awesome. It honorable, plus you get lots of good benifits."

"You got a point." Nico murmured thoughtfully. "But you could die..."

Percy shrugged. "It's a risk worth taking."

"Yeah." Nico murmured sleepily in reply. "You're right..." he trailed off, yawing. "I wanna be a knight too..."

"You're drunk with sleepiness."

"..." Snoring. Light snoring.

Percy sighed, vaguely wondering how Annabeth would look right now. What she'd think of him. And if she kept her promise...

He thought of the kingdom, slowly drifting to sleep. After all, he was just fourteen.

* * *

**Apollogies for the 50% useless chapter. Get it? APOLLOgies?! Hehe... i'll stop now.**

**Anyway, thanks for reading! I really swear- next chapter, Percy comes back.**

**~Apollo's Pirate Daughter**


	14. Chapter 14

**Hey guys! I am currently on another vacation (that I was a wee bit unwilling to go through with, really) and I'm bored and I am now writing.**

**Also, sorry to guest LeoValdezLover, but I thought this story up about a year ago and I already have an idea for this chapter. Very sorry, but I still hope you like it! **

**Here we goo….**

* * *

_**Chapter 14**_

Annabeth woke up in this early morning as usual. But she didn't get out of bed just yet. She glanced at her table by her bed. She stared at the drawer where she kept the letter Percy gave her two years ago. She was sixteen now, and he was probably about the same age. Though what did he look like now? To be honest, she had kind of forgotten what he looks like. But she thought even if she _did _remember, she wouldn't know what he looked like _now._

"Annabeth! Annabeth!" Two identical voices suddenly rang in her ears. Those voices sounded so similar, it sounded like it was one voice doubled. She looked up groggily, seeing two boys with sandy brown hair, blue eyes, and bright, identical grins.

"Bobby, Matthew, what do you want?" Annabeth questioned the ten-year-olds.

"Dad told us to tell you to get ready." Bobby answered first.

"Remember the bunch of new knight recruits the other day?" Matthew added. "Well Dad said a few new ones came yesterday too, and you didn't last and bailed halfway through."

"So now there's just one of them and you _have _to go." Bobby finished. After that, the twins looked at each other and high-fived, laughing."

Annabeth rolled her eyes at the two boys. "So did you guys practice this or something?"

"_Maybe_…." Matthew said slowly, grinning . Then the two boys quickly ran out of her room with Bobby screaming. "Dad said to be downstairs in twenty minutes!"

Annabeth sighed. She had wanted to visit the tree today, but it looks like she had more "responsibilities" to do. Ugh, she hated all of this. She was just glad she hadn't been promised marriage like all the other sixteen-year-old princesses. She begrudgingly stood up from her comfortable bed and made her way to her closet to get a change of clothes. She decided on wearing the simple, grey and lavender dress for formal events. It wasn't that grand, it was a long, sleek, off-shoulder dress with sleeves reaching up to her wrists. A few sequins glittered the sash running along her waist. She only wore this so that Susan and her father wouldn't scold her for her "ratty" adventure clothes. If she didn't have any responsibilities or classes today, she would've picked her long sleeved shirt, belt, boots, pants, and vest and climb up the tree. But _No_, _it had to be "formal'._ Ugh.

* * *

Annabeth plopped down on the velvet cushion of her silver framed throne next to her father's golden one. Next to his throne was an identical, but smaller throne for the queen. And two silver thrones for the twin princes next to hers.

Annabeth sighed, resting her chin on her hand. "When will this be over, father?" She asked, glancing the opposite direction.

"Manners, Annabeth." Her father reminded. "And etiquette. Stop slouching, keep your hand away from your chin."

With that, Annabeth moved her hand to her cheek, making her father sigh in frustration. He was just about to scold her again when the voice of one of the guards interrupted. "Sire! He is here!"

"Alright, alright. Let him in." The king demanded, composing sat straight up on his throne, as well as his wife and children. Well, except for Annabeth, who remained glaring at the wall, not bothering to look up as the grand oak doors opened up for the soon-to-be knight.

"Your highnesses." The boy kneeled. "Thank you for accepting me into the army."

"Rise, boy." The king commanded. "I can tell you will be a very brave knight."

Annabeth rolled her eyes. _That's what he says to all of them,_ she thought.

"Thank you, milord." The boy replied. Annabeth was still looking away, not bothering to look at her family, nor the new knight.

Annabeth mildly listened to the conversation between the king, queen, and the new knight, tuning out every once in a while. Until of course the last part of it.

"You are very kind, my king." The boy complemented "And your majesty, the queen, is very fair. You young princes are very, er, nice. And milady, princess Annabeth," he paused for a moment. "you are very beautiful."

Annabeth had delt with knights saying things about her like this before in order to simply woo her, and for an unknown reason, the king never minded, and she never gave a care. But for some reason, she felt the heat rise to her cheeks when she heard this. She didn't know why, but she felt the truth in his words, unlike the other ones who were just trying to charm her, to catch her attention. But this boy… he meant it. Like a true complement.

Annabeth whipped her head around so fast she was surprised it didn't fall off her shoulders. She stared at him, cheeks undoubtedly flaming. This boy looked around sixteen, no older than her. His dark and messy hair looked like it hadn't been combed for weeks, it was probably messy that way. The smirk upon his face seemed very mocking to her, yet, very familiar. But his eyes…

The king kept babbling the whole time of their short staring contest, and the king was just about to dismiss him. The boy gave a bow and smiled at her. Just as he was about to go, the princess spoke. "Wait!" she called, and he halted, twisting only his upper body to look at her, his bright green eyes twinkling. Annabeth narrowed her stormy grey eyes at him. "What's your name?"

"Percy Jackson, your highness." He answered, passing her a knowing look before leaving. But he looked back at her just as he reached the door, and she swore she saw him wink and left, leaving her gaping at closed, oak doors.

Her parents didn't seem to take notice. They probably didn't even remember his name after all these years.

"Annabeth?" Frederick,Susan ,Bobby and Matthew were looking at her. Probably confused about her dumbfounded expression. But strangely enough, the two brothers caught on quickly. "_Ooh!_ Annabeth's got a cru-ush!" The two mocked in a sing-song voice. Annabeth decided she didn't have time for this teasing and questioning and jumped out of her throne.

She sped up the right flank of stairs, a grin slowly breaking onto her face as she ran, miraculousy not tripping on her dress. She ran past the castle maids, not regarding their dumbfounded expressions at her grinning face. Annabeth could've sworn one of them was so surprised the maid dropped her bucket of water exclaiming. "What in bloody hell?"

_Well that was rude_, Annabeth thought, but disregarded it immidiately.

When she reached the door to her room, she saw Thalia standing in the hallway staring at her. "Annabeth…?" She asked slowly, as if not believing what she saw.

"He's back." She simply said before rushing into her room. Thalia quickly de-froze and ran in after her. She held the door open, as she stood in the doorway. Her electric blue eyes examining her quizzically. Annabeth and Thalia were pretty close friends, so they usually skipped the formalities. Along with Jason and Grover.

"Who's back?" Thalia asked, though she felt like she already knew the answer. Annabeth turned to look at her friend, who she treated like an older sister. She was still grinning ear to ear, grey eyes shining bright, like they used to do a long time ago. Her look made Thalia feel like Annabeth had accomplished a miracle. Though she knew it wasn't her exactly…

"Percy's back." Annabeth replied gleefully, tugging down her white shirt. "He's back!" She exclaimed again, as if declaring she won the Olympics.

Thalia leaned on the side of the doorframe, a small smile on her face as she examined the excited princess before her. "Thought so." She said almost to herself. "By the way, he said to meet you at-"

"I already know." Annabeth muttered, furiously putting on her boots."The tree, right?"

"Yeah." Thalia shrugged. "Whatever that means. As far as I know, the only tress inside this kingdom are about fifty miles away."

Annabeth carefully buttoned up her vest and slipped on what look like leather gauntlets.

"What are those for?" Thalia asked, pushing herself off the side of the doorway. Annabeth hurriedly made her was towards her balcony. "Tell my parents I'm off for a walk in the garden if they ask." She told Thalia as she pulled up a pile of rope and tossed it off the balcony. One end of the rope was tied to the railing, and Thalia had a feeling of what she was about to do.

"Annabeth-"

"Relax. This is my quick was of getting down.'' She grinned as she jumped from the balcony, hands still on the rope. Thalia rushed to the railing and looked down, to find the princess safely on the ground, hands on the rope.

"Well that was fun." Annabeth laughed, running off into the mazes of hedges. Thalia shook her head, watching the sixteen year old princess leave. She might as well go back to cleaning the hallway. That mop she abandoned had better be there, or else that maid she hated, Drew, would be in _big_ trouble.

* * *

**Okay so Imma stop here now. Sorry for the unsatisfaction you are experiencing right now, Ehe… But the next chapter will hopefully be uploaded same time tomorrow, maybe a few hours later. Okay, thanks for reading! Review and this will be continued faster.**  
**~Apollo'sPirateDAughter**


	15. Chapter 15

**Heyloo guys! Since almost everyone of you reviewed "please update soon!", it only took me 28 hours (i think). Anyway, thankyou all for reading this story! But first, an answer for a guest... ( remember, if you have any questions about the story, I'll answer them in my ANs ;) )**

**Answer for LeoValdezLover: well, of course HOO characters will be in this story! Don't worry, some will probably be here in this chapter. And if you wanna know my name, just go to my bio! :)**

**ON WITH ZE STOWY**

* * *

_**Chapter 15**__**  
**_

Annabeth climbed the rope ladder as quickly as she could without falling off it, occasionally swaying from the force of the blowing wind. Less than half a minute later, she finally reached the huge branch the rope was anchored to. She hauled herself up and stood on the branch. After a few seconds of catching her breath, she looked up to see a figure sitting at the edge of that branch, one leg hanging off it as the other one was pulled up to his chest. Annabeth simply stood there, as if in shock, not believing her own eyes.

"You know," His voice filled Annabeth's ears. "It's been a pretty long time since I've seen this view." His sea green eyes gazed at the horizon with a look of sentiment. Annabeth felt her heart hammer in her chest when she saw how the shining- almost golden- light of the sun illuminated his features. His wild, dark hair swayed in the wind, green eyes sparkling in the light, and his ever annoying grin plastered on is face. He caught her staring and smirked. "Like what you see, Wise Girl?" He teased. Annabeth regained her senses and crossed her arms across her chest, glaring at him with those steely grey eyes that seemed to stare into your very soul. "So you like seeing my fist up close, Seaweed Brain?" She retorted in that not-at-all-princessy-and-ellegant way of hers.

Surprisingly, he laughed. That joyful, boyish laughter rang in Annabeth's ears, melting all the rage, sadness, and annoyance in her heart. For the first time in years, everything seemed to lift off her chest at the sound of her best friend's laughter. She couldn't help but let out a small chuckle herself, leaving a small smile etched onto her face. She closed her eyes and sighed. "I missed you, Percy..." She breathed.

Slowly, Percy stood up from his position on the branch, green eyes fixed on Annabeth. He walked closer and closer until they were only inches away from each other. Annabeth had noticed how tall he'd grown, easily three inches taller than her. She stared into his sea green eyes as he stared back, catching every bit of blue and silver in those grey orbs which he found so intimidating yet mesmerizingly beautiful.

"I missed you too." He said, barely over a whisper. He engulfed her into a hug, holding her close as if never wanting to let her go, with Annabeth doing the same. She couldn't hold it in anymore, letting the tears she'd been holding in for so long escape out of her eyes. Percy didn't seem to mind at all, in fact, he seemed glad. Then again, why wouldn't he be? Why wouldn't both of them be?

"See," Percy muttered softly into her golden locks. "I told you I would keep my promise."

Annabeth sniffled, grinning a bit. "I knew you would."

"Did you keep _your _promise?"

Annabeth stayed silent for a few seconds. "Well...sort of. Unless fake smiles count... then um, sorry." She squeaked.

Percy let out a small chuckle. "That's alright. As long as you keep your other promise."

Annabeth pulled away slightly, regardless of her tear-stained face and red rimmed eyes. She could always be herself around him. "What other promise?" She asked.

"You said we'd be friends forever, right?" Percy held out his pinky at her.

"Yeah. And you promised too." Annabeth wrapped her pinky around his, leaving their fingers intertwined between them.

After what seemed like hours of staring at Annabeth, Percy coughed slightly, looking away. And she swore she saw him blush. Annabeth raised a questioning eyebrow which Percy disregarded. "Well, maybe we should get down now...?"

"No." Annabeth said,taking a seat in the small curved depression in the branch. "How 'bout we just relax here for a while?"

Percy grinned sitting down next to her. "And," Annabeth said, looking him square in the eye. " You have a ton of explaining to do, Mister Knight."

"Yeah- um... about that,"

* * *

**Hahaha yeah, okay, sorry for the shortest chapter ever, but I was watching a show and I wanna eat pizza and my fave TV show just popped into the screen out of nowhere...**

**Let's see if we can fit two chapters in one night... *quickly publishes this part so that I can write chapter 16***

**~Apollo's Pirate DAughter**


	16. Chapter 16

**Chapter 16**

"So how did you become a knight?" The princess questioned the young knight as they walked side-by-side back to the center of the courtyard.

"Well I'm not a knight yet." He replied. "Well, sort-of. I still have a lot of training to do." The princess raised her eyebrow at him. "You still haven't told me."

"Well," He started. "You see, when we came back to the kingdom yesterday, Nico, Jason and I saw a group of knights by the Den. The head Knight... Clarisse, I think her name was, was also there. I think there were tryouts for new recruits. And um, basically, we were recruited."

Annabeth stared at Percy, with those calculating grey orbs of hers. "That isn't the whole story." She concluded, coming to a halt right as they reached the pond. She stood at the base of the stone bridge that went right across it. "Tell me the full story." She demanded. "Now."

Percy blushed, if only a faint tint of pink on his cheeks, yet Annabeth still noticed. "How about no." He said.

"How about say it or I'll kill you."

"Seriously?"

"Very."

Percy sighed in defeat. "Fine." Then his eyes lit up, leaving Annabeth suspicious. She narrowed her eyes at him, a confused look on her face. "What are you-?"

Before she could finish her question, Percy had pushed her into the rather clean pond, causing a school if fish to rapidly swim to the other side of the pond and water splash around everywhere.

Percy was laughing his head off at her, he laughed so much his stomach hurt. Annabeth gave her his death glare, and Percy was sure his very soul would melt if he weren't laughing so hard.

Annabeth quickly swept her feet right under Percy's legs causing him to fall into the pond as well. Now it was her turn to laugh. Percy let out a small grumble, but later on he laughed as well.

"Just like old times." He mused.

"Yeah." Annabeth smiled. "Except the water's cleaner now and there's no mud on our faces." Percy laughed lightly at the memory.

"But," Annabeth said. "You haven't told me entirely what happened."

The small tint of pink crept back to Percy's cheeks. "But it's kind of... embarassing." He muttered, just loud enough for the both of them to hear.

"Spill it."

"Fine." Percy sighed. "So Nico and I had just gotten of the galeon after mom and dad...

**_~Yesterday~_**

"Percy! Nico!" Two voices called,somewhere in the buisy crowd of port royal.

Percy looked up just in time to see two figures crash onto him, almost knocking him over. He smiled, taking a step back to get a better look at the two who just tackled him.

Thalia was already nineteen years old , but she barely looked older than Percy. Her electric blue eyes still intimidating as ever, but was currently twinkling with joy.

Percy's other cousin, Jason, had grown taller, almost even taller than him, even if he was a year and a half younger. His blond hair had grown a tad longer, but still had the same cut as before. His sky blue eyes definetly did not match his sister's. And Percy immediately noticed the small scar on his upper lip.

"Hey Jason," he asked after a few greetings and hugs. "Where did you get that scar? A fight? A battle? A dangerous adventure of sorts?"

"Uh-"

"He chewed on a letter opener a few days after you guys left." Thalia cut in, smirking, causing her little brother to pout, and Percy and Nico to laugh.

"Haha, very funny." Jason interjected. "But enough about that. I heard there was a tryout for new knight recruits just by the Den!"

Percy's eyes lit up. It had always been his dream to becom a knight serving under the king. "What are we waiting for, then?" He grinned. "You're coming, right Nico?" He asked his cousin.

Nico squirmed a bit. "Um, well... " Then Nico gave an expharated sigh. "I never really wanted to be a knight. But I can watch you guys, though."

Percy had a dissapointed look on his face, wich he quickly tried to disguise as a small smile, but the expression lingered in his eyes. "Alright. But you can still join if you change your mind." He said as Jason nodded.

"Woah." Percy exclaimed, watching the two knights in armour cross swords, showing off to the crowd surrounding them.

Percy, Nico and Jason watched as one of the knights twisted his sword upward around his opponent's and flung it upward, dissarming the other knight. He then kicked him backward causing him to stumble and pointed his sword at his throat. Then, the knight seathed his sword and took off his helmet... or her helmet.

Percy honestly thought the knight was a guy, because of the build under the armour.

She had long, and wavy brown hair that flowed down her shoulders, reddish-brown eyes that glared like an angry bull, and quite unfeminin features. "And that," the female knight said. "Is how you win. I am Clarisse! The current captain, or maybe cheif, of the army of this kingdom! Anyone who dares spar with me and not die...well," she smirked. " If anyone does live, they are welcome to be new recruits."

"Go easy on them, Clarisse." A girl Percy hadn't noticed was standing at the side. She had dark hair braided down her back, and dark, steely eyes. She wore armour as well, her helmet she held under her arm. And by her side were two dogs, one had golden fur, and the other had grayish, balck fur that shined silver in the sunlight.

"Oh whatever, Reyna." Clarisse smirrked. "Let me give 'em the full blow. If they beat that, then-"

"Clarisse." Reyna said sternly. "This is a recruiting, not the actual battle. Remember, if Ares hears about anything fishy he will have your head." Clarisse's smirk faded off her face at that remark. "Fine." She grumbled, turning to the crowd. "So, does anyone dare challenge me for a chance to be in the army? I'm sure Reyna's earlier recruits were wimps... so would anyone dare challenge me?"

"Reyna's earlier recruits?" Percy muttered to himself.

"Oh, yeah." A girl next to him replied, startling him a bit. "Earlier, people battled with the other captain, Reyna. Half of them got in, half didn't. Though many came very close to beating her, none did completely. Clarisse... no one, and I mean no one, had ever beaten her. Thirty men had tried, but no avail for them."

Percy turned to look at the woman who spoke to her, and saw that she had fiery red har, and apple green eyes. She wore a brown cloak underneath a paint splattered woolen dress.

"Uh, thanks." Percy replied. "I'm Percy, by the way."

"Rachel." The girl shook his hand. "Rachel Dare."

Percy's eyes widened. "Wait, aren't you like... aren't you the girl who lives on top of the hill? The witch?"

Rachel laughed. "I prefer the term "see-er of time"."

"You mean oracle?"

"Yeah. Don't be so hard on me though. I only see the future, not cast horrible curses." She laghed again. "Plus, I'm here to see the hero."

"Hero?" Percy questioned.

"Hero. " Rachel reassured, turning back to Clarisse who was still yelling at the crowd for a challenger. "The one who will defeat Clarisse LaRue for the first time. I had a vision that says the one who defeats her will be the greatest hero of all." She mused, almost to herself. "Though many don't beleive my prophecies..."

"Well luckily for you,"Jason, who had been listening, cut in. "Your little vision's gonna come true."

"Jason-" Nico tried to stop his cousin, but he had already cherged forward through the crowd. Nico face-palmed.

"Well, I'd like to see his butt kicked. "Percy muttered, grinning with amusement.

"Bring me a sword!" Jason called to the crowd.

Clarisse smirked, grabbing a sword from a nearby soldier, tossing it to Jason. "What's your name, challenger?"

"Jason Grace." He grinned, taking the sword. "Let's see if you can beat me. "

Clarisse unseathed her own sword. "Let's see if you don't die. "

"Well isn't he feeling confdent today." Percy mused. "He usually isn't like this. Overconfident, I mean."

Nico nodded in agreement. "Man, he really wants to be a knight."

"He's overconfident." Rachel agreed. "He'll probably die..."

"Wait, WHAT?!" Percy and Nico exclaimed together, staring at the oracle. She laughed, her green eyes twinkling. "I'm kidding! I'm kidding! I have no idea about the outcome of this battle." She reaussured.

"Seriously." Percy said, turning back to the battle.

Needless to say, after about twenty minutes or so, Jason was dissarmed, laying flat in his back, sword pointed to his neck.

"Next challenger, please." Clarisse smirked.

"I hate everything." Jason mumbled, coming to stand next to Percy who was laughing hysterically.

"Dude, you totally got your butt kicked!" Percy laughed, wiping a tear from his eye. "I mean she literally kicked your but halfway through the fight!"

"Yeah, I know." Jason muttered grumpily. "And you never stopped laughing after that."

Nico chuckled lightly. "You needed a confidence drain, Ego Boy. "

"Shur up."

"I wanna try though..." Percy stopped laughing, and had stared in the direction on Clarisse, who was once again screaming "ANYMORE CHALLENGERS? YOU WIMPS!" to the crowd.

Oh well, Percy thought to himself.

"WHO ELSE DARES?!" Clarisse belowed, her hunger for blood clearly unsatisfied.

"Um, I dares." Percy spoke up, shoving his way through the crowd.

The cheif of the soldiers examined him with her brown eyes. "Ha! A flimsy fisherman like you? I'll beat you easily!" She teased. "But nevertheless, I'll see if you can get anywhere close to being a challenge." Clarisse grabbed another sword and tossed it to Percy, who fumbled a little before getting a grip on it.

Hey, he's sparred with Nico, Jason, and his father before. He's even crossed swords with a pirate once, and won. He can do this. He can become a knight. A great one. The hero Rachel was talking about.

He held the sword firmly in his hands, a confident expression on his face. Clarisse eyed him carefully, examining his every move.

Then, she charged, with the raging force of a bull.

Percy's sword met with her's, clashing together with shear force. The two blades swung at each other, striking at any opening and blocking every attack. Parry, strike, duck, swing, the battle went on for what seemed like forever. At one point, Clarisse had kicked him, knocking him backwards, falling to the floor.

"Had enough, fisher boy?" Clarisse smirked, then swung her sword. Percy blocked it with his own, and jumped upward, feet first, this time knocking Clarisse backwards.

He stood up shakily to find Clarisse sitting on her butt, a murderous expression directed at him.

"OHH!" The crowd roard. Percy glanced sideward to find the other cheif, Reyna, with a surprised expression on he face, wich quickly turned into amusement.

"Maybe you've had enough. " Percy smirked.

"Yeah, right!" Clarisse growled, stood up and swung her sword with the force of a wild, charging horse, wich knocked Percy back a tad.

Their swords clashed together a couple of times, then, with one strike, Percy locked the hilts of their swords together.

"Think I'm...worthy...enough?" Percy grunted, smirk still intact.

Clarisse quickly glanced sidewards for a breif second, then grinned looking back at Percy. "I honestly think... your worthy enough..." Clarisse grunted. "To get wet!"

"Wha-" Before Percy could finish his question, she swung him sidewards using her sword to his, causing him to stumble into a row of barrels filled with water.

Percy was soaking wet from the water, hearing the crowd roar with laughter. He glanced to his left and found one more untipped barrel. He lifted that up and threw the contents at Clarisse, who was drenched in -not water- but mud. Icky, yucky, mud. Or... oh, good gods, that was not mud either. Horse dung. Very smelly horse dung. Percy knew what comes out of horses butts all too well.

Clarisse charged, but slipped on the mixture of water and dung.

The entire crowd was laughing even Reyna.

Percy pointed his sword under her chin. "Give up?"

"I hate you." Clarisse muttered.

"That's what I thought." Percy grinned, satisfied. And as he took his first step away, he slipped as well, and face-planted on the floor, and got a mouthful of horse dung.

"OH GROSS!" Percy screamed, trying not to swallow anything.

"Congratulations." Reyna, who had managed to stand next to Percy without slipping, said, holding her hand out.

Percy took it and stood up, still spitting out all the nasty stuff in his mouth.

"Now, you're ready to train as a knight." Reyna smiled. "You can start tomorrow, after your meeting with the king and the royal family."

"Thanks." Percy smiled. "Also, would it be okay if my cousin Jason could also join in?"

Reyna glanced at the other boy breifly. "I suppose so... but he's not having a meeting with the royal family." She marched over to him. Jason's cheeks were flushed, but he remained calm. "Consider yourself under probation, soldier." She said and walked away.

"C'mon, let's wrap it up for the day." Reyna called to her fellow soldiers, but before leaving, she turned back to Percy. "What's your name?"

"Percy Jackson, captain." Percy replied.

"I expect to see you tomorrow at noon for training, ." With that she left, her metalic-colored dogs at her heels.

"I know you will be a great hero." Rachel told him. "And you will also have great odor for about a week or so."

"Oh, shut up!" Percy blushed. "This isn't the first time I accidentally fell into horse poop."

"Oh, yeah." Nico chuckled. "I remember."

"SHUT UP!"

_**~back to the present~**_

"HAHAHA!" Annabeth laughed hysterically. "Horse poop?! Hahaha!"

"Shut up!" Percy grumbled.

"Okay, okay..." Annabeth breathed, wiping a tear from her eye. "So you're a knight now?"

"Yep." Percy answered.

"Hey, didn't you say you were training at noon?"

"Oh, gods, yeah, I almost forgot." Percy muttered, standing up from his seat on the stone bridge's railing, opposite from Annabeth.

"Alright," Annabeths smiled. "See you later, Dung Breath."

"Hey! I said-" Annabeth had kissed Percy's cheek, cutting him off and causing him to blush madly.

"Good luck, and don't die." She told him before walking away, leaving him standing there like an idiot. Cheeks red and mouth agape. But it only took him about six seconds to recall he was late for his first dah of training.

* * *

So how was it? I'm using a new writer app on my phone, so tell me how this went! I would really love to hear from you guys! :)

Till the next chapter,

~Apollo'sPirateDaughter✌


	17. Chapter 17

**Hey guys! Update time again for everyone! I'm writing on my phone once again. Hehe. Imma eat some seafood after this. So get ready all you Leo Lovers out there! It's time to introdouce the blacksmith/ machine maker!**

_**Chapter 17**_

Percy had his sword pointed to Jason's throat. Jason and Percy were currently sparring partners. They had some practice a couple of times in the middle of the spectating soldiers gathered around them.

Reyna nodded at them from her place in front of the crowd. "Very good." She said as Percy seathed back his sword. "But I think your swords don't fit you very well." She stated, coming forward. "Every soldier needs a sword that fits him perfectly, like an extension on their body. The swords you are wielding don't seen to fit you exactly."

"Well, yeah." Percy admitted, handing back his sword. "It feels really out balanced. "

"Mine too." Jason said, handing back his own.

"I suggest you two visit Leo." Clarisse said from the side, a deadpanned expression on her face. "He's a blacksmith just a few blocks away. He can figure out what kind of weapon is for you just by watching you fight and doing a couple of trial-and-errors." Then she scowled. "But he can be kind of... quirky. Annoying and would've been mistaken as a jester if he weren't covered in grease all the time."

Reyna nodded. "Visit Leo. Piper can show you the way."

"Uh," Jason timidly raised his hand. "Who's Piper."

"She's a daughter of one of the Richmen in the kingdom." Reyna replied. "She's sweet, kind. But she's also a rebel. She helps out here with training or at the blacksmith's. "

"True, true." A girl said, emerging from the crowd. She had choppy brown hair which looked like it had been cut by a knife, and eyes that seemed to change color every time she moved her head. She was beautiful, Percy had to admit, but not exactly his type of girl. She wore a simple, peach colored shirt with sleeves that puffed slightly on her shoulders and a brown skirt that reached just above her ankles.

"Piper McLean, at your service!" She shook the two knights' hands.

"Percy Jackson." Percy smiled casually.

"Ah, yes." She girl, Piper, nodded. "The one who bathed miss LaRue in horse dung." Percy swore he saw Clarisse glare daggers at them, but Piper didn't show any sign of noticing someone staring at her murderously.

"I'm Jason Grace." Jason said, flashing her a smile. Piper returned it. "Nice to meet you."

"Okay, I think we should go now." Percy said. Piper nodded at him. "Let us go, now."

"Leo!" Piper called, knocking on the door of a quite small wooden shack. There was a chimney on the roof spewing out smoke.

"Come in! It's open!" A muffled voice came from inside. Piper shoved open the wooden door with a little difficulty and ushered the two knights to come in.

The place was actually larger than is seems. There were piles of weapons and parts of machinery laying around in a distant corner. A few pools of water, working tables, and random boxes were sacttered around. A few anvils and forges at the left wall were lined in a row. And on the right wall were shelves of tools and random doohickeys.

A boy who looked no older than Percy and Jason was hammering a sheet of metal on an anvil. He had curly brow hair that sticked out in all places, oil and grease stained his clothes and face and he had quite elvish features.

He put down his hammer and wiped his hand on a nearby cloth, making his way towards the trio.

"I'm Leo Valdez!" He greeted, holding out his hand. "The best blacksmith around!"

Piper snorted. "You're the _only _blacksmith around with your father off to Greece!" She said, rolling her eyes.

Leo shrugged off her comment. "So you boys are the new recruits?" Leo asked.

"Yeah." Jason said. "We need a couple of new swords, actually. The ones back in the arena don't really fit us."

Leo nodded. "Alright." He said, beckoning them to follow him across the room to a place where there was nothing scattered around. Just a clear area in the forge where you could roll around on the floor if you wanted to.

Leo went over to the pile of swords and other weaponry. He took out two wooden swords and tossed them to the soldiers. "Those are the standard swords that might as well fit everyone." He said. "I use them to examine how a soldier fights and what kind of sword I should make." Then he glanced at them with that crazy grin Piper was so very used to. "Now, you spar."

Jason flipped his sword in the air, catching it by the hilt for the twentieth time. "Dude, Jason." Percy grumbled next to him. "Will you stop flipping your sword?"

Jason grinned at him mockingly. "Nope!" He exclaimed, flipping the sword the again. Percy groaned.

"Try this, Percy." Leo said, interrupting. He handed Percy a sword made of iron with a leather hilt. Percy took it and swung the sword several times before handing it back. "Nope." Percy sighed. He had been through as much swords as Jason had tossed his own. But none seemed to fit Percy.

Leo groaned. "Man, this is one tough cookie! But I'm _not _ giving up!" He stated, storming back to the forge.

Percy sighed and sat back down on the small wooden stool. He started to fumble with the pile of weaponry behind him and accidentally knocked over a pile of swords. He fumbled with them, trying to pick them up and then, he saw one that caught his eye. It was bronze, with a smooth leather hilt. The blade seemed to have a tint of green.

"Oh, no." Leo's voice said from behind him,startling Percy. "That sword's not for you, Perce. I'm afraid it's for no one. Apparantly, it's cursed."

"Cursed?" Percy questioned

"My great grandfather was a blacksmith too." Leo nodded. "He made that once for a soldier. It never fit. No soldier could weild the blade, complaining it was to heavy. But he simply couldn't rid himself of that blade. For decades, soldiers tried them out but never chose the sword. Dad figured it was cursed. According to him, the blade was made by the seaside and the sword accidentally fell into the water, nearly carried away by a riptide. And so it was named." Leo shrugged. "But pfft. Ledgends." He rolled his eyes. "It's just another sword that hasn't found it's weilder yet."

"Can I...?" Percy asked.

"You're welcome to try it." Then he glanced at Jason. "But don't flip it."

Percy laughed, taking the hilt in his hand. He sung the sword and for once, Percy felt lile he was actually in control of the blade. He felt a sensation like it truly belonged to him.

His sea green eyes lit up. "Yeah. This is the one!"

"Well then the curse is broken!" Leo laughed.

"Hey, Jason." Percy glanced at his cousin, standing up. "Wanna spar?"

**Ok guys I am so sorry to end this chapter like this. I just really wanted to write this. The next chapter will be coming out either this very night or tomorrow! I promise! Also: MORE PERCABETH TO COME.**

**~Apollo'sPirateDaughter**


	18. Chapter 18

**heyo guys! Thank you to everyone who loved this story and reviewed! Love ya all!**

**Reply to lady Adidaa: Don't worry! There will be some Caleo and Jasper, but I'm more focused on Percabeth! ;)**

**Chapter 18**

"Annabeth!" A loud voice boomed through the door of the princess's bedroom. Annabeth let out a small groan, rolling from her sideways position in her bed to laying flat on her back.

"Annabeth!" The voice boomed again, accompanied by the creaking of an opening door.

Annabeth opened her eyes with difficulty, blinking several times. After a few seconds, she found the overly joyed face of her father staring down at her. She sat up in her mattress, rubbing the sleep out of her eyes.

"Good news!" The king exclaimed, holding up a white envelope. It's red seal had been broken, meaning it had already been opened. "You're seventeenth birthday ball is approaching!" He grinned cheerily. "The princes, dukes and duchesses have accepted to come!"

Annabeth quickly shot up in bed, awoken by the news. She stared wide-eyed at her father. "I'm not getting an aranged marriage, am I?!" She half-screamed. It was the thing she feared oh so much. She hoped her father was as open-mined and kind-hearted as he seemed. She didn't want to get married to someone she didn't love! Nor did she want to NOT get married to someone she DID love.

The king smiled humorously and shook his head. His blue eyes glinted with amusement. "No, Annabeth." He said. Annabeth sighed with releif. "You'll get married when someone proposes and you accept. I trust your judgment of who you would marry someday. After all, that was how your mother and I were married." He laughed. "Me, trying to woo her every day since I met her. After eight long months, she finally said yes." He sighed contentedly, staring out into space. Annabeth had a small, amused smile on her face. She wished a certain someone would look at her like the way Frederick looked at Athena.

"Ahem." The king cleared his throat, snapping himself out of his daze. "Anyway, I expect you to be here by dusk." He smiled mischeviously at her. "You have the day off."

Annabeth broke into a wide grin. She hugged her father, catching him a bit off guard. "Oh gods, thank you, thank you , thank you, thank you, father!" Annabeth said. Frederick had missed this, her hugs and smiles. She had only ever smiled ever since that servant boy came... and the new knight... Frederick breifly wondered if the knight and the boy were the same person. He'd have to consult Susan about that later. She recalled everything.

"Oh gods, I have to get dressed!" Annabeth squeeled. She jumped out of bed and ran to her closet, pulling out a pair of trousers and a grey, long-sleeved shirt.

Then, she quickly turned to Frederick, a smile on her face. "Thanks, dad." She said. She then moved to push him out the door hurriedly, screaming. "Sorry but I have to get dressed! I'll be out of the castle for the day!"

"Alright!" Frederick's muffled voice rang through the door. "Just don't stray past the Den!"

"I wont!" Annabeth replied, changing out of her night dress from the other side of the door. "I'll be fine, dad! Jeeze, I'm not a little kid anymore. I can defend myself. I've trained with Chiron, remember?"

"Yes, yes. Just be careful!"

Frederick remembered Chiron. One of the greatest masters there ever were. He never fought, or lead and army, but he was amazing at training the best knights and even normal people who he deemed worthy. A misterious man, he is. Almost as strange as the beleived oracle who lived in her cave on the hill.

Urban ledgends. Frederick never beleived them. He thought about all this, heading back to his room to get changed himself as he was still dressed for sleep.

*-&amp;-*-&amp;-*-&amp;-&amp;-&amp;-*-&amp;-&amp;-&amp;-*-&amp;*-&amp;-*-&amp;*-%-&amp;-&amp;*

Annabeth slipped on her leather gloves as she rushed to the balcony, pushing the doors open. Grabbing hold of the rope tied to one of the railings, she jumped off the balcony as she did a hundred times before. Halfway down, she clutched the rope, slowing her descent, stopping completely just as she was only a foot away from the ground. She jumped down, breaking into a run for the hedges.

The found the blue-stone mark, but she didn't even need the mark anymore, as she memorized every nook and cranny of the pathway.

She ran, gradually slowing down and coming to a stop just as she reached the ruble wall-stairway. She stared up at the tree, it's leaves sheilding her eyes from the light of the morning sun. She hoped Percy was here.

She started to climb up expertly, not slipping, not looking down even once. As she reached the top of the rope ladder, a blast of cool air hit her so suddenly she almost fell over. She sat down on the huge branch, catching her breath.

"Hey, Wise Girl." A familiar voice greeted as she felt a presence slide next to her. She glanced up to see Percy, sea-green eyes twinkling, lopsided smile intact.

"Hello, Seaweed Brain." She smirked. He swung his arm over her shoulders, causing Annabeth to blush slightly. She leaned into him, his warmth sheilding her from the cold breeze.

"The winter's close." Percy muttered, his breath tickling the top of her head.

"Only a month away." Annabeth confirmed. She looked up, trying not to drool over him. Okay, what? Did she just think that?!

Annabeth shrugged it off, trying to keep a straight face. "Hey, Percy?" She asked, as he glanced sidewards at her, their faces only an inch appart. He stared into her eyes, still not taking his arm off her shoulders. Not that Annabeh was complaining... SHUT UP! Annabeth told her brain, shutting out all thoughts of... that.

At least she _tried _to.

"Hm?" Percy asked.

"Aren't you supposed to be training? You know, with you being a soldier now?"

"No. Our training starts later at noon." Then his eyes lit up as he remembered something. "Hey, I got a new sword!"

"Oh really?" Annabeth raised her eyebrow, grinning at how child-like he acted.

"Yeah!" Percy confirmed. "It was named Riptide, and it's blade was bronze. It was apparantly cursed and no one would take it for like, six decades, but I found it and it's perfect!" Then he pouted. "But I left it at home so I can't show you. But it's still a sword!"

"Oh yeah?" Annabeth challenged, her hand moving to her waist, to where a leather strap was, supporting a seath. "Well, I got this!" She said, pulling out a knife. It's blade was bronze, just like Percy's. But it's blade seemed to reflect a tint of grey instead of green.

Percy smirked, moving the tip down with his finger. "Do you even know how to use it?"

Annabeth quirked her eyebrow up, grinning in a way wich almost scared Percy. Almost.

She pulled up her knife again. "Oh, is that a challenge?"

"Oh this is gonna be good!" Jason cheered. They were in a circle, watching Annabeth and Percy, weilding their perspective blades.

It was Jason, Grover, Thalia, Nico, Rachel, Piper, Leo, Sally and Poseidon watching. They were huddled at the back of Percy's house. It was fairly wide enough, moving the chicken cages and chopping board to the side.

"Ready?" Annabeth smiled, challengingly.

"Oh, yeah." Percy grinned back. "You better get ready, Princess! I'm gonna whoop your butt!"

"Let's see you try."

"OHHHHH!" The small crowd cheered.

"Oh," Rachel grinned at them, the hood of her cloak pulled down. "I think I know who wins this battle. Even without the visions."

Annabeth charged, knife and sword clashing together. At one point, she kicked Percy backwards, and he defended her attack with his sword. Annabeth had to admit, he was good, but not good enough.

A few times Percy had come THIS close to beating her, double the times Annabeth had almost beaten him.

"Ready to give up,Jackson?" Annabeth smirked, jabbing at his side. Percy quickly caught her blade with the hilt of his sword, interlocking them.

"As if, Wise Girl." He grinned back.

Annabeth had caught him off guard. "So you preffer to be... beaten?" She pushed her knife downwards, quickly twisting it up.

Percy's sword flung into the air. Rachel calmly stepped backwards, Riptide imbedding itslef in the ground where she had just stood a second ago.

Annabeth had her knife pointed at his neck, Percy's hands were in the air , surrendering.

The small crowd around them cheered and laughed. "Beaten by a princess!" Jason laughed. "Oh, sweet revenge!"

"Hahaha." Percy mocked laughter as Annabeth seathed back her knife. Percy had went and taken back Riptide as Rachel clapped him on the back. "Yes indeed." She laughed. "The greatest hero."

Annabeth laughed as well, approaching him. "Good fight, Seaweed Brain." She held out her hand, which Percy simply looked at glumly. "I have to admit, you were the most formidable enemy I fought."

Percy raised his eyebrow. "Enemy?"

"I meant while sparring." Annabeth blew a strand of hair out of her face. "You really are a Seaweed Brain." Percy still felt a bit cross, it shown all over his face.

"C'mon, Percy." Annabeth punched his arm lightly. "You could at least smile."

**Alright, another little filler chapter. Well, not really. I just wanted to do this little chappie. See? A new update as promised! And Percabeth as Promised! **

**Next chapter: something part of the plot. **

**Hihihihi.**

**~Apollo'sPirateDaughter✌**


	19. Chapter 19

**Heyyo! Imma writin this authors note at 9:45 pm and I have school tomorrow! The first day of school... wahhh...**

**Anyway, a reply to **_**Swan Destiny:**_** Okay, why do you keep reading my mind? You keep reading mind for the plot! But there is still a few plot twists no one shall know of... keep reading! :) and thanks :)**

**-*&amp;-*&amp;-*&amp;-*&amp;-*&amp;-*&amp;-*&amp;-*&amp;-*&amp;-*:-&amp;-*&amp;-*&amp;**

_**Chapter 19**_

"So your turning seventeen?" Percy had a far away look as he said this.

"Yeah." Annabeth replied as the two walked side by side going back to the palace. They had just been at the training arena where Annabeth had gone to visit him today. She needed a brake from birthday planning. "And dad says there's gonna be a big fat ball." Annabeth snorted. "As if I'd let that happen."

"So," Percy asked. "Will I be invited to this party?"

Annabeth stared at him like he was crazy. "Of course!" She grinned. "Why would I ever have a party if my best friend's not invited? Grover, Nico, Thalia, Piper... everyone will be there! I swear it."

Percy smiled at her. The moon shone brightly in the night sky, casting a silver light over them. Percy's eyes shone brighter under the moon light, and Annabeth's hair seemed to be highlighted with silver.

"Hey, Annabeth?" Percy asked, stopping in his tracks just a few feet away from the palace doors.

"Yeah...?" Annabeth was distracted. She looked around the courtyard seeing strange, yellow, glowing things behind the bushes.

"Can you..." Percy faltered, seeing what Annabeth was staring at. His eyes lit up. "Fireflies." He whispered, just enough for Annabeth to hear.

"I've only read about them in books." She whispered back. "I never knew..." She trailed off, seeing as there were hundreds of the tiny, floating lights in the courtyard. Even Percy was in awe, mouth agape.

They all seemed to float aimlessly aroung the bushes and over the water or the pond, some even looping around the stobe brige.

"C'mon." Percy grinned. He grabbed Annabeth's hand running for the pond. They slowed down as they neared it's waters. Percy lead Annabeth up the stone bridge, standing in the middle. He still hadn't let go of her hand, and Annabeth felt the heat rise to her cheeks. She stared at him as he stared back, getting lost in each other's eyes.

After what seemed like forever, Percy looked up at the clear sky. The fireflies looked like stars descended from above. Annabeth watched as he slowly cupped his hand around a coulle of fireflies in the air, emprisoning them in his palms. The gaps between his fingers glowed as he opened one just a bit for Annabeth to see.

She saw the two fireflues nesteld in his hand, occasionally trying to fly out. "They're beautiful." Annabeth spoke.

"Aren't they? I've only seen very few of them before." Percy said. "But this... this is amazing!"

"Yeah." Annabeth breathed. Percy opened his palms laying them flat next to each other. They watched as the fireflies flew away, joining their friends.

"Annabeth," Percy asked as Annabeth glanced at him. "Will you save me the first dance? I mean, after the traditional dances with your father and uncles."

Annabeth smiled at him, quite amused by his hopeful face. His features illuminated by the light of the fireflies. "Of course." She held out her pinky as Percy wrapped it with his own. "I promise."

That was good enough for him. He just wanted to have a good first dance with her. He trusted her promises. Heck, he trusted her with his own life. He didn't know exactly what he felt, he knew he was in denial, but hey. As long as she was by his side, he'd have something to live for.

She engulfed him into a hug and he wrapped his arms around her. A funny feeling settled in his chest, but all he cared about now was Annabeth. That she was here with him.

And also the fireflies.

**Yaay. Okaay. Imma go ahead and sleep now I can't afford to sleep in on the first day of school. This was a small filler chapter, (but it was very Percabeth satisfying, wasn't it? Oh, no? You wanted them to kiss? TOO BAD. Nah, just kidding. All in good time, my fellow fangirls/boys. All in good time.)**

**~Apollo's Pirate Daughter✌**


	20. Chapter 20

**Reply to Swan Destiny: I live in the Philippines so here our summer months are march to may. :) And for the Percabeth kiss? Yeah... hehe..hehehehehe... **

**Reply to ****BooksaremyBestbuddies:Thanks! Glad you liked the story! And of course, can i not have Percabeth kiss? Oh no, they WILL kiss. But all in good time. Huehuehue... hehehe..**

**Note: Its not good when an author goes: hehehehehe...**

**Chapter 20**

"So this? Or this?" Piper held up two long dresses for Annabeth to see. They were in her room, picking out an outfit just three hours before the ball. She was apointed to help out Annabeth pick out a dress, because if she did it herself she'd be wearing trousers.

"Neither." Annabeth grumbled in her chair. "That one's too tight." She pointed to the violet one. "And that one's too... revealing." She pointed to the grey one. "Seriously, who even made that?! A sleeveless, low-cut collar dress?"

Piper glanced at the dress. "Yeah, your right." She agreed, tossing back the two dresses into a small pile of clothes on the floor. She went back to searching the huge, wooden closet. "Besides," Piper said. "That's not Percy's type anyway...

"Uh, what?!" Annabeth blushed a visible bright red.

Piper glanced at her, her multi-colored eyes glinting with a little playfulness. "Percy's type." She repeated, smiling. Then she went back to looking for clothes.

Before Annabeth could protest about anything, Piper pulled out another dress, grinning like a madman. She held up a silver dress that seemed to be spun of silk. It had long, off-shoulder sleeves reaching up to the wrists. The collar was lined with elegant lace embroidery and along with the waist belt and the under lining of the skirt.

It was elegant yet simple all the while. And if you look at it in the right light, you would see that there were hints of blue in the silver silk.

"It's perfect!" Annabeth exclaimed.

"I know, right?" Piper agreed. "Quick! Try it on! I'll do your hair later... oh, the crown would fit beautifuly with the silver head band..." Then she gasped. "Oh, I almost forgot! I need to go help Percy with his clothes!" Then she rushed out the door with a short "Goodbye! See you later!" Leaving Annabeth rolling her eyes.

"But I look ridiculous! " Percy exclaimed.

"I can vouch for that. " Jason commented from the side of the room. "I am no fashionist, but coats don't suit him."

"Agreed." Piper said after observing Percy. "Formalities aren't your style. Perhaps..." She glanced at Poseidon. "Do you have any capes?"

Percy was dressed in a simple white, long-sleeved shirt with ruffles on the collar tucked in in trousers and held by a belt matched with pollished leather boots. Piper completed his look by putting a blue cape around his neck. Poseidon had suggested a feathered hat, wich wasn't all that bad, but Percy thought it would be ridiculous.

"Perfect." Nico grinned. "Now all you need is a sword and a bib and you'll be a French Musketeer! "

"First of all," Piper glared at him. "They aren't bibs. Second of all, Percy does not look like a muskuteer! As long as he doesn't put on the hat, he's fine."

Percy looked at himself in the small mirror againts the wall. "I suppose this is nice." He agreed, flashing a smile.

Piper cooed over him. "You two would be perfect!" She sighed to herself, leaving everyone else around the room confused.

Then Piper turned to Jason.

"Jason?" Piper asked.

"Yeah?" He said a bit confused.

"Dress up." She tossed him a suit. "If you wanna go to the ball with me, anyway."

Jason grinned at her. "Oh, you bet!" Then he coughed. "Um, I mean, of course. I asked you, didn't I?"

Piper laughed and left to get dressed herself.

**-*&amp;-*&amp;-*&amp;-*&amp;-*&amp;-*&amp;-*&amp;-*&amp;-*%-*&amp;-*&amp;-*&amp;-*&amp;-*&amp;**

Annabeth peered down from the side of the grand staircase, making sure no one would see her. The crowd of royalty had already formed. And there she spotted several Princes, probably hopeful suitors. Ha. As if. Annabeth would shut them down as soon as they walked close. Then Annabeth saw him.

Luke Castellan. One of the bravest knights and the greatest pirnce of the southern kingdom. Some say he was a womanizer, but Annabeth doubted that. She had met the guy only once, but he was charming, friendly, caring... definitely not what other girls say about him.

Annabeth pried her gaze off Prince Luke and saw that her friends had already arrived. Thalia, wearing a gown? Annabeth thought she'd never live to see the day...

Then there was Piper, Jason, Grover, Jason, Nico, and Leo all dressed formaly.

Then she spotted Percy. He wasn't wearing the usual formal coat, but his suit and cape fit him very well and could pass as a formality. He did look rather dashing. Though Annabeth thought a hat would've completed the look...

"Annabeth." A soft, gentle voice said from behing her. She glanced around to see Pheobe, the old librarian, one of her only friends, standing there, a small smile on her face as she examined the princess.

"You are grown up now. " Pheobe spoke in her gentle, but slighy cracked voice. "A fine young princess. I would like to greet you happy birthday, darling."

"Thank you, Pheobe." Annabeth bowed slightly, smiling at her old friend.

"And since you are now a lady, I would like to warn you."

"Warn me?"

"Yes, dear. You see, I had a husband once when I was young." Annabeth smiled as Pheobe spoke. She loved her stories. "I thought I loved him, but... but I soon realized I didn't." She spat, frowning at the stairs. " But it was too late, we were married. Before that marriage, the true man I loved and I got into an arguement. It took me all those years to realize he loved me too and felt jelousy that I had loved another man. But I was too... too selfish. I let my pride get in the way of things." Then, her gaze softened. She looked over the crowd gathered in the ballroom. "They say history is doomed to repeat itself. I hope that saying is not true, my dear. I fear for you as much as I have grown to love you."

Annabeth followed Pheobe's gaze towards the crowd. She only had a hint of an idea of what she was talking about. But when she turned around to face her, she was gone. Almost as if she was never there at all.

She always found that woman as mysterious as much as she was sweet and kind.

"AND NOW ANNOUNCING," A loud, rich voice boomed through the room, making everyone fall silent. She realized it was her father announcing her entrance. She breathed in and out. She could do this. No worries. Save Percy that first dance... wait, what?

"THE PRINCESS OF OLYMPIA, THE BIRTHDAY CELEBRANT OF THIS DAY, THE SEVENTEEN YEAR OLD PRINCESS, AND MY DAUGHTER,"

Breath in. Breath out. You can do this. She was almost thankful for that long introduction.

"PRINCESS ANNABETH CHASE!" The crowd clapped and even cheered occasionally as Annabeth began to walk down the staircase as elegantly as possible. She held up her skirt, trying not to trip, even if she was wearing flats.

She finally made it to the last step, glancing up to see the outstretched hand of her father. She smiled and took it as the music started to play. They danced in the middle of the room, watched by everyone else.

"You look beautiful, Annabeth." Her father complemented as they glided across the ballroom floor.

"Thanks, dad." Annabeth said. "Though Piper did all the work."

Frederick laughed. "Looks like it."

"Ha,ha." Annabeth mocked, but she still smiled.

After about three more minutes of dancing, her uncle, the duke had taken her hand and they danced, so with the rest of the dukes. After the traditional dances, Annabeth was free to roam off. She greeted guests, took a few cookies, and all the while looking for Percy. She promised him the first dance. She searched almost half the ballroom, but still hadn't found him. Yet she continued looking through the crowd by the buffet table.

"Would you like to dance, milady?" A voice behind her said.

"Oh, sorry. " Annabeth answered, looking over the crowd. "I already..." She trailed off seeing the man behind her.

He stood there, blond hair perfectly tamed, smile nice and strait, flashing his teeth, and intense, sky blue eyes looking at her with admiration.

"Luke Castellan." Αnnabeth smiled, her eyebrow raised. "Sorry. You are very charming, but I already have-"

"Oh, one dance wouldn't hurt." Luke urged, holding out his hand and taking her's. He bent down to kiss the back of her hand, looking up at her with those intense blue eyes.

Annabeth blushed, but she kept her confident smile. One dance wouldn't hurt, right? Percy would understand. It was just a dance after all.

"Alright."

The music suddenly blared, an elegant tone for an elegant dance. Percy looked to the middle of the ballroom, seeing the dancing couple.

Annabeth and another guy with blond hair. What was his name...? Larry? Lucas? Or was it Luke? Yes, Prince Luke of the southern kingdom.

And he was dancing with her? Annabeth?

Percy saw her smile, actually laughing as he whispered into her ear. They were chatting and dancing, gliding across the middle of the room. The current center of attention.

Percy couldn't help but feel a twinge of jelousy and hurt. He can't beleive she went back on her promise for some, some prince! Some stupid prince! He didn't care if the promise was petty, a promise is a promise. A promise was meant to be kept. That was their pact.

The music had stopped and Annabeth had spotted him. Her eyes lit up in that cute was she always did and muttered something to Luke, kissing his cheek.

She kissed his ...?! Ugh. Percy groaned, turned his back and walked away as Annabeth got closer. She looked so beautiful right now, but he was too mad to stare for long.

"Hey, Seaweed Brain! Wait up!" Annabeth called after him. She finally reached him, walking at his pace by his side. Percy didn't look at her, he kept glaring ahead, shoulders kept stiff.

"And I also got to dance with this prince," Annabeth continued, obviously not noticing Percy's mood. "His name's Luke and he's so sweet and sensitive and nice and..." she trailed off, finally noticing Percy not acknowledging her.

"Hey, Percy." Annabeth put a hand on his shoulder. "What's the matter?"

"Nothing." Percy muttered through gritted teeth. "I-uh, I have to go." He said, shrugging off her hand.

"Go?" Annabeth questioned. "But the ball isn't even over!" It wasn't like him to miss her birthday. Or anyone's birthday, really. Sure, he can be late, but he'd stay even two hours after the party.

"Mom needs me." Percy explained. "I need to help her with... stuff."

"You're lying." Annabeth accused.

" Happy birthday, Annabeth. Hope you enjoyed that dance." Was all Percy said before stalking out the door.

"Annabeth!" One of the maids, Drew, had grabbed her arm before she could react."You need to come! The king is looking for you."

"No, wait. I-"

"Annabeth." A new voice interrupted. It was Luke, holding out his hand. "Come. You can go when this is over. Please, come."

Annabeth reluctantly let Luke and Drew drag her away from the doors. She could always find that Seaweed Brain later, right?

**Ha. Cliffie. Might not be my best chapter, but I'm rushed. Ugh, three days into highschool and im already stressed.**

**Anyway, i will be updating by the weekend and Ill be watching Jurassic World on saturday (or possibly today. Depends on my internet.) Okay, bye!**

**~Ap0II0"5 Pirate Daughter**


	21. Chapter 21

**Hey guys! So watching Jurassic World in 3D is HELLA AWESOME. Not to spoil anyone, but this time, T-Rex and Raptors are heroes! Also, they should really stop making those parks. People keep dying and predators keep getting loose.**

**Anywho, on with the story! On with the drama! On with the Lukabeth! Nah, kidding! Or am I...?**

**Chapter 21  
**

"You sure you want to go already?" Luke held Annabeth's hand, running his thumb over her knuckles lightly.

She blushed. "Yeah. I'm really sorry, but I have to go."

Luke nodded. "Alright. I just want you to know that I'll be staying here a few days. So if you want, we can...?"

"Sure." Annabeth said a little bit to enthusiastically. "Maybe next time. Bye."

"Bye."

* * *

Annbeth didn't even change out of her dress. She was so furious with Percy just running away like that. Yet she was also curious as to why he did.

She was about to head to the tree when Jason stopped her. "What?" She glared at him.

"He's in the arena." Jason told her. She nodded and went on her way. She was glad she didn't wear the heels.

* * *

She finally got to the entrance of the arena, breathing heavily. After a few minutes of catching her breath, she finally heard it.

There was muttering, angry muttering, accompanied by the sound of blade againts wood. Annabeth peaked into the open gates, she saw Percy, furiously hacking at a dummy. It's head was cut clean off, rolling on the floor with several holes through it. The dummy itself was now a wad of hay stuck to a wooden pole.

She's never seen Percy this mad. Sure he got pissed, but never actually angry.

"Stupid. Prince." Percy was muttering through gritted teeth. "Stupid. Annabeth. Stupid. Promises. " Each word was accopanied by a swing off his sword. Annabeth decided to wait in the stands while he cooled off. She did not want that sword pointed at her. He was scary when mad.

"He wasn't that mad earlier. " A voice startled Annabeth, but she kept quiet. Grover was sitting quietly behind her, observing Percy. "He did a few practice moves and fighting styles earlier, but now he's trying to full-on massacre the dummies. I tried to calm him, but it looks like he's letting on more steam than letting it off." Grover said.

Anneth nodded. "I've never seen him this mad before." She said quietly.

"Yeah." Grover agreed. "I've only seen him like this once, and I prayed thanks it wasn't me he was mad at." He chuckled lightly. "And I pray for you, because it seems he wants to murder you."

"Me?"

"Yeah." Grover rubbed his nose. " He kept muttering 'Annabeth' and 'promise breaker'. Heh."

Annabeth felt the heat rise to her cheeks, but because of fury. He was mad at her? He was mad at HER? What did she do? It was just a stupid dance!

"That's it." Annabeth muttered as she started to stalk towards Percy.

"Uh, I wouldn't walk in that direction if I were you!" Grover warned, but she payed him no attention.

"Percy!" Annabeth hissed as she stood right behind him. Surprisingly, he turned around, mid-swing, his sword pointed to her neck catching her off guard.

"What do you want?" He glared in a deadly calm tone, he sea-green eyes were dark and enraged.

"Why are you acting so childish?" Annabeth accused, pushing his sword away. " It was just a stupid dance! What is wrong with you?!"

She saw the hurt in his eyes that was accompanied by anger. He said nothing and tried to leave, but she pushed him back. She was surprisingly strong.

"Answer me!" Annabeth demanded.

"You want answers? Fine!" Percy yelled back. "Yoi broke your promise! You said you would keep every promise! That was our pact!"

"It was just a stupid dance! Why are you so worked up over this?"

" Because you promised! You went back on your word!"

"So I danced with Luke, so what?! What do you care?!" She swore Percy glared harder as she spoke Luke's name.

"Because," Percy said. Suddenly, he leaned in and kissed her. A perfect kiss on the lips.

She was stunned at first, but she closed her eyes in the moment. Immediately, he retracted and left without another word.

Annabeth stood there like an idiot, recounting what in Hades just happened.

He kissed her? But... so...

Annabeth's thoughts were interrupted by a loud clap from the stands. Grover was grinning like a madman. "Oooh, yeah! Jason owes me a bag of silver! Haha!"

"Uh, what?" Annabeth muttered in a soft tone. She was still in shock of what happened.

"It's called placing bets, hun." Grover laughed. "I knew the kiss would come sooner than later!"

Annabeth wanted to smack him upside the head, but seriously. He kissed her? So that means he likes her? Annabeth blushed visibly.

But did that mean he was...? Annabeth smiled. He was jelous.

**Okay, folks. This is our stop. Please exit the Percabeth train and come back in a few days. Thank you. **

**Heu guys! I'd like to tell you I'll be updating around the weekends because I am going to be buisy with school. Thanks for reading! Bye!**

**~Apollo'sPirateDaughter **


	22. Chapter 22

**Chapter 22**

Percy stalked back to his house in the Den, his sword, Riptide, being dragged behind him. It's tip scrapping againts the ground.

What had he done? Was he crazy? Yeah, you can say that. Stupid? Probably. Inlove? There's a ... slight chance of that. But jealous?

Ha.

Ha!

Ha, ha, ha, ha, ha!

Okay, maybe a little.

Percy slammed open the wooden door, nearly bursting it off it's hinges. Jason and Thalia who were inside, jumped at the loud bang of wood againts wood.

Percy walked wordlessly into his room, opening the door and slamming it shut behind him.

"What's with him?" Jason wondered. Thalia shrugged. Jason sighed and got up, knocking on the bedroom door.

"Percy!" He called, leaning his head againts the wooden door. "Dude, what's the matter?"

There was no reply.

Suddenly, the front door burst open again. In the doorway stood Grover, grinning like crazy. He laughed as he walked in and plopped himself down on the chair, setting his crutches down beside him.

"Jason," Grover held out his palm at the younger boy. "I belive you owe me a bag of silver."

.

Annabeth paced up and down the silver carpeting of her room. She wondered what she should do. Percy kissed her. The Perseus Jackson KISSED her. The boy she had liked since they were children.

But there was the matter of Luke...

Ugh. Annabeth shook her head. She made a decision. She can't have this day end tragically. Who cares if it's three hours to midnight? She needed to see Percy.

.

Okay, so running through a plain grassy courtyard in the dark wasn't as easy as it seemed. Where were the fireflies when you needed them? It was cloudy overhead, hiding the moon and the stars from sight. Annabeth sighed, patting her waist making sure her knife was there. To be used either for defense or for attack.

Soon enough, she reached the den and was thankful for the lights from the houses, no matter how dim. She trugdged along until she found the house she was looking for. Opening the door, she peeked inside.

Jason and Grover were having an argument and Thalia was off to the side rolling her eyes.

"You need proof!" Jason was saying. "Maybe a witness to call on!"

"Ask Percy!' Grover retorted. "I'm telling the truth!"

Jason crossed his arms. "May I remind you that he is never going to let anyone stay in there for more than a millisecond? " He gestured to the first bedroom door behind him.

Grover had just then noticed Annabeth peeking through the doorway. He grinned and pointed in her direction. "See!" Jason looked. "Annabeth, did Percy kiss you or not?"

Thalia looked up, suddenly interested in the conversation.

Annabeth blushed visibly, digging her nails into the side of the door. She nodded lightly and Grover laughed.

Jason fummed and handed over a small, burlap pouch. You could hear the money shift inside as it landed in Grover's hand.

"Thank you very much!" The older boy grinned with satisfactiory.

Annabeth cleared her throat, making herself known once again. "Um, can I speak to Percy?" She asked, stepping inside the small house.

"In there." Thalia pointed towards Percy's bedroom door off to her left. "Moping. He was in a pretty bad mood."

"How?" Grover smirked. "He just kissed-"

"Shut up." Annabeth glared in his direction, making him immediately shut his mouth.

"Yeah, but good luck getting him out of there." Jason said. "He won't talk to you and will slam the door on your face after pushing you out."

Annabeth held her determined expression. "I can try." She said, marching to the said door.

She breathed in and out, her friends watching her intently. Her fist hovered over the door, unsure to knock or turn back.

Well, here goes nothing.

.

Percy sat in the far corner of his bed, ignoring the sounds from outside his room. It was dark inside, he could barely even see the sword infront of him.

He kept on replaying earlier over and over in his mind. He sure as hell wasn't going to sleep anytime soon.

A sudden knock pulled him from his thoughts. He looked up slightly. How long has he been staring off at nothing? Mintues? Hours? Well, it seemed that long.

Behind the door, familiar gray eyes peeked inside, adjusting to the darkness. Annabeth slipped inside the room and closed the door behind her. She immediately found the small oil lamp to her right and turned it on, illumimating the room dimly.

Percy just had to admire how fiercely beautiful she looked in the dim light. Her gray eyes sparkled, her golden hair flowed down her shoulders. But one thing was wrong: she was frowning. He hated that. He wanted so badly to make her smile, but only if he wasn't in need of cheering up himself this moment.

"Hey." Annabeth spoke after an akward silence. Percy remained quiet, afraid of what he might say if he opened his mouth.

After about another minute, Annabeth sighed. "You could at least say something." She muttered bossily.

"You shouldn't be here." Percy said quietly, unmoving from his spot.

"And why not?" Annabeth retorted. Percy remained quiet. Annabeth sighed again deeply. She walked forward and plopped down beside Percy on his bed.

Percy shifted a bit away from her. Annabeth frowned, making Percy feel like he had a knife stuck in his chest.

"Percy, what's wrong?" She asked, more gently than he ever heard her before. "Tell me. Please."

Percy hugged his knees up to his chest, clutching his sword tightly. "Don't you get it yet?" He muttered quietly. No point from hiding form her anyway. "Look, I guess I just felt kind of uncomfortable with... um, with Luke." He continued when Annabeth didn't reply. "And... I just don't know. I guess with all this schist happening and stupid emotions... well, I was never one for emotions. Or words. Ugh."

Annabeth smiled a little, which was almost enough to make Percy's heart jump out of his chest.

"The thing is," Percy continued. "I guess I haven't figured myself out. But all I'm saying is, I don't trust this Luke character."

"So what you're saying is," Annabeth said slowly. "You're jelouse?"

Percy blushed furiously. "I never- what should... I don't... ugh. " Annabeth laughed at his frustration which made Percy smile.

"So are we good?" Annabeth asked. "And sorry for that promise-"

Percy held up his hand. "It's alright. " He said. "It's just a stupid dance."

"No. Percy, it was our pact-"

"No, really. " He smiled. "It's fine."

"Okay." Annabeth agreed reluctantly. "I'm still sorry." Annabeth paused, satisfied with the comfortable silence. "You know, you look cute when your worried."

Percy smiled. "You don't look so bad in a dress either." He said. Annabeth laughed, making Percy's heart soar. She kissed his cheek, making him blush furiously. He just hoped the dim light hid it.

"Well, good night." Annabeth flashed him a small smile as she got up.

"Night." Percy smiled back. "Wanna hang out tomorrow?"

"Sure. Before noon, okay?"

"Alright."

And with that, Annabeth left, satisfied. She looked forward to hanging out with Percy...

Oh, wait. Didn't she promise Luke...?

**Hahahahahahah! Okay, sorry 'bout that guys. The ending, I mean. I'll be updating by the weekend, hopefully. School schist. I have a megaladon sized plot twist in for it next.**

**(If u dont know megaladon and wanna look it up, be my guest. BTW: when newly born, these animals are as big as a Great White Shark. When new born )**

**Also, I'm really sorry if the chapter's short. Never got much time to write. My updates will be quite postponed now, but I'll do my best to update at least once a week.**

**~Apollo'sDaughter XD**


	23. Chapter 23

**Chapter 23**

"Percy!" And urgent voice awoke him, followed by a loud bang of the door.

He shifted in his comfortable sheets, sitting up. He rubbed the sleep out of his eyes, squinting at the intruder.

Jason's hair was very messy, his armour was basically hanging off his body and he forgot to wear his trousers. Again.

"Jase, why aren't you wearing any pants?" Percy questioned groggily.

"No time!" Jason said. His expression conveyed urgency, eyes wide and eyebrows ruffled in worry. "Reyna! Emergency training session for the entire day! We might be coming up againts war in the next months..."

Percy's eyes widened in alarm. When Reyna says emergency, it means immediately jumped out of bed and looked for his armour, grabbing Riptide in the process. "Jason," Percy said firmly while he grabbed his chestplate.

"Yeah?"

Percy looked at him pointedly. "Put some pants on."

Jason blushed, frowning and slammed the door closed. Percy laughed at his cousin. At last, he didn't forget his clothes this time. At last, it was Jason's turn to be embarrased.

Percy grabbed his helmet and bolted for the front door where Jason was waiting, pants now intact. But just as he grabbed the handle, he immediately stopped dead in his tracks.

He forgot. He wouldn't be able to meet Annabeth today. Percy crused but opened the door anyway. He saw the hooded face of none other than Rachel, the oracle, frowning at him.

"Oh, good. Rach," Percy sighed with relief. "Will you please tell Annabeth I won't be able to make it today? Thanks."

Rachel simply frowned at him and nodded. "Percy," she warned before he left. "This afternoon..." she paused. "You won't like what you see. I'm sorry."

Percy stared at her quizically as Jason did the same. "What?" He asked. Rachel shook her head. "Go along." She urged. "Reyna's really mad." That switched his focus back to the task at hand. They both ran for the arena. Oh, gods. Reyna will KILL them.

...

Annabeth waited at the base of the tree. She sighed. He was late, as usual. But he wasn't supposed to be an hour late. Something must've come up.

She sighed and stood up. She gazed up at the tree one last time before descending down the makeshift staircase that lay infront of her. She expertly maneuvered out of the hedges and found herself in the middle of the grassy courtyard.

The sky was partially cloudy, so she didn't have any problems with taking a stroll at high noon. She just hoped it wouldn't rain.

Annabeth shoved her hands inside the pockets of her trousers. As she walked by she heard a few footsteps on the grass followed by a familiar voice calling her name. "Annabeth, wait!"

Annabeth whirled around just in time to see Prince Luke Castellan walking towards her. She paused allowing him to reach her after a few seconds. He bowed as he came to halt infront of her.

"My apologies, Princess." He gave her that charming smile of his. Blue eyes sparkling.

Annabeth blushed. She only stood there, forcing a smile onto her face. Maybe she could have a wonderful day-out after all...

...

"In a few months time, we might be facing war." Reyna, the cheif of the soldiers spoke infront of the assembly of soldiers. Her sword glinted at her side, and her two hounds paced right behing her. "That is why we will be training EVERY DAY."

Percy gulped at those two words. "Every day?" He asked as if it was an outrageous thing. And for him, it was.

Reyna fixed her coal-black eyes on him. "Yes." She said firmly. "Do you have a problem with that, Mister Jackson?"

Percy kept his mouth shut, but inside he was screaming about how ubsurd and unfair this all was. How could he meet Annabeth everyday then?!

"And," Reyna continued with her speech. "Soldiers need as much rest as they need training. That is how my saying goes." Reyna waved her hand dissmissibly. "Yet, do not expect to be sleeping in at any given day. You will be awoken at the very crack of dawn, rest for a quarter of an hour at noon, then the same time for the afternoon, and dissmissed after dusk. " She stopped pacing and turned to the assembly of soldiers. "Do you unserstand?"

The soldiers nodded, pounding their blades on the ground.

Reyna nodded back. "Twenty minutes and you will be back here." She gave Percy a knowing glance. "Understand? Dissmissed!"

At the word, Percy immediately rushed out of the arena, not bothering to take of his armour. The clouds were dark and heavy, it seemed the rain would be pouring soon. Freckles of lightning appeared in the distance, but it hadn't rained yet.

Percy nodded at the guards at the gate of the kingdom as he passed by, and they nodded back at him opening the gates.

"Off to see the princess, lad?" The taller one, These, or as his nickname goes- Minotaur, (he killed fifty men with only a log once) asked. His tone was heavy and had the accent of a viking.

"Yeah." Percy nodded,holding his helmet under his arm, anxious to get inside. Minotaur let out a hearty laugh and opened his side of the metal gate. "I reckon you be courting her, eh? I say you have a mighty fine chance, boy!"

Percy felt his cheeks ignite at that comment. He was about to stutter in denial but Minotaur cutt him off. "You better hurry lad. I heard a few princes be courting her as well. Including that womanizer, Luke." He grumbled. "Let it be. I'd place a hundred shillings for you two!"

His companion, Argus, who was thinner and quieter snorted. "You would bet that much?" He pounded his spear againts the ground. "Unbelievable! I wouldn't waste that amount of money for two lovers!"

"Wait a second-" Percy tried to interrupt.

"Well I'd be surprised if the lad don't win her heart in a few weeks!" Minotaur growled back.

"What do you-" Percy was again silenced.

"You want to bet, you old coot? I say the heart's already won!" Argus challenged.

"I don't have time for this..." Percy muttered under his breath and ducked under the argument, leaving the two placing bets angrily behind him.

As he ran across the grassy courtyard he spotted two familiar figures.

Annabeth was holding Luke's hand as they walked across the courtyard. She seemed anxious, shy, respectful and a little bit too cheery at the prince's prensence. Percy's blood boiled but he remained calm.

"-show you something!" Annabeth was saying as she dragged the older boy to a certain path in between the hedges marked by a blue stone.

Percy's eyes widened as he silently followed the two. "No, it can't be..." Percy muttered under his breath. "She wouldn't..." His doubts were confimed.

He hid in the bushes, watching as Annabeth led a confused Luke to the bottom of the makeshift staircase.

"A wall of ruble?" Luke questioned.

"Well, you see..." Annabeth started, but then, she saw him. Craning her neck to the left in embarassment led her to finding none other than the angry, sea-green eys of Percy Jackson.

He stood just by the side of the nearest hedge. His eyes turned dark and stormy in that way that scared Annabeth. Tears threatened to fall as the rained did.

She snapped out if it. What was she DOING?! She was about to tell Luke of the tree? How could she? She mentally slapped herself, seeing as Luke was distracted by... daffodils. Huh.

Percy shook his head and left.

"Um, Luke. " Annabeth's lip quivered. "I gotta go."

**Sorry I had to leave it at that folks. Update will be in a week I suppose! Bye! **

**I just dont have much time with school schsit...UGHHHHHHHH.**

**Also: CLASS SUSPENSIOOOOONS! (the rain is a miracle at these times...)**

**~Apollo'sAwesomePirateDaughterXD**


	24. Chapter 24

**Hey guys! I just want to say that I REALLY wish I could reply to all your reviews, but with school work, I barely have enough time to so much as write. Seriously, it just takes me an hour to write a chapter, but now it takes several days. UGHHH. And even if I'm free (or cramming homework) I'm too pooped to even write creatively. Uninspired, I type like: Percy ran across the grass and engulfed Annabeth in a hug. They kissed. Then Nico appeared and killed a robot. Then Grover married a soccermonkey. Whatever the fudge that is...**

_**Chapter 24**_

Annabeth ran through the hedges, searching for a familiar mop of black hair. "Percy, wait!" She called, hoping he would still be there to hear her out. Come to think of it, what would she say to him? She brought Luke to the tree because she was hopelessly inlove? She would break a promise for a man she's met only thrice, giving up on her best friend since childhood? She was a fool. An idiot. A worthless little-

"Percy!" She called again as she finally cleared the heges regardless of the raspy branches that scraped across her skin. The sky was extremely dark and clouds were heavy. The rain had started to fall in small beads and trickles. One by one they fell, increasing in number.

Annabeth glanced across the courtyard, seeing Percy storming away just a few feet infront of her, back turned to her. She ran, the grass brushing againts her feet, until she caught up to him, just as the rain had started to pour in great numbers, drenching everything it can. Including Annabeth. Again, she was glad she never wore the dress.

"Percy!" Annabeth screamed desperately as she grabbed his arm. "Will you please listen?!" Bad move.

Percy turned to her, his expression made Annabeth feel like she was stabbed in the chest. It was clear that he hated her for this, but can't help but feel broken.

His bright green eyes were bright no more, overclouded with betreyal and confusion.

"What, Annabeth?" Percy growled. "What do you want to say to me, huh? " the rain poured down heavily, drenching his hair so that it hung in his eyes. "I saw you! I saw you take him to the tree! Look me in the eye and tell me you didn't try to break our promise." He glared at her as she glared back, like every other argument that they had. But for once, Percy was angrier than her.

"Percy, I'm sorry, okay?" She pleaded with a little rage in her voice. "I didn't even take him directly up there! Yes, I was about to but I didn't-"

"Because I was there!" Percy retorded, his blood boiling despite the rain. "If you hadn't seen me, if I wasn't there ...? What then?"

Annabeth wiped the wet hair out of her eyes. She stayed silent, knowing he was right. "I'm sorry." She finally said, her tone soft.

Percy's gazed softened, but hardened just as quick. " 'Sorry' doesn't cut it." He growled in a deadly calm tone before stalking away.

Annabeth only watched as he left, sinking down to her knees as her tears poured in sync with the rain. How could she have done such a thing...?

...

Percy let out a low huff as he turned his back to her. In any other case, he would have rushed to her side and comforted her, engulfing her in a hug. But now, he didn't know what to think. She almost...how could she...? She betrayed him. His best friend. The girl he lo... liked. Liked a lot.

Despite his anger, he felt cold. He felt betrayed, stabbed in the back. The rain beating down on him and the wind blowing through him didn't help.

Percy marched through the gates, arms tucked in. These and Argus were smart to stay silent as he passed. The cobble-stone street was slippery and wet as he walked back to the Den, but then he remembered- training.

"Right." Percy muttered to himself, his voice low. He turned on his heel and walked back to the training arena. Reyna wouldn't care if it rained, so training was still on. He hurried up, careful not to slip on the cobblestone ground, avoiding the passing merchants with their carts filled with goods seeking for cover from the rain.

Percy made it to the arena, his feet splashing in the water that gathered on the ground. He looked up to see a few soldiers sparring together in the rain, some were taking cover in the stands.

"Ah, care to spar, Percy?" Jason Grace called out in the rain from across the arena, aproaching him. His blond hair had darkened as it was soaking wet. Jason immediately noticed something was wrong with his cousin as he came close. "What's wrong, Perce?" He asked, lowering his unseathed sword.

"Nothing. " Percy replied dismissively, yet Jason still noticed the falseness in his voice. "Let's just spar. " Percy said, drawing his own sword.

"Alright." Jason agreed unsurely, nevertheless putting on a challenging grin as he raised his own sword.

Percy let out a low huff as he got ready. He needed to take out his anger, though he hoped Jason could take it. Probably not. Percy let out a low laugh. The younger boy had learned a long time ago, never cross swords with your older cousin when he is mad. You will end up breaking you arm and probably neck as well.

It was too late when Jason realized this. Oh Hades was he in trouble.

...

"Annabeth, please calm down." Thalia pleaded with her friend desperately. Annabeth paced across her room so furiously that she might create a rut in the silver carpeting.

"No!" Annabeth said impatiently. She hadn't even changed out of her soaking wet clothes. "Thalia, what am I going to do? I'm an idiot! He'll never talk to me again!" Her eyebrows were ruffled and her eyes shown worry and confusion. In shorter terms, she looked terrified.

Thalia sighed, grabbing her friend's shoulders firmly as she came to her side, stopping her from her frequent pacing. "First, you should calm down." She told her. "Then change out of your clothes, and have a cookie. Or two."

Annabeth nodded, her shoulders relaxing, but Thalia could still feel her tension. "Good." She said, leading the princess across the room to the grand bed where she was made to sit. The velvet cushions were soaked with water as soon as Annabeth sat down on them. Thalia made her way to the oak wardrobe. She pulled out a simple, white dress with short sleeves and a silver circlet around the waist. "Wear this." The older girl ordered, her electric blue eyes glimmered with concern. Annabeth could only nod, looking like she was trying not to scream.

"What then?" Annabeth asked, her lip quivering as she shinnied out of her boots.

"Then," Thalia crossed her arms. "You apologize. Sincerely. And if it comes to it, bake some blue cookies." She paused for a while, rethinking her statement. "On second thought, bake the blue cookies before you apologize."

**I am sorry for the quite short chapter. If you call that short... but anyway, from this point, I suffer from writer's block. I have almost no idea what to write next. If I should do like a small "make-up' chapter or time-skip to war day or not even write any "make-up" chapter until... a point in the story.**

**Help me out here guys! Thanks! :)**

**~Apollo'sPirateDaughter**

**#SparrowLogic**

**#HazelApproves**

**#NicoSaysNoToWritersBlock**


	25. Chapter 25

**Hey guys! So here is finally the continuation. I'm sorry, but I'm still deciding weather to make you guys squeal in delight or rip your hair out in frustration...**

**Let's just see how this goes...**

**Chapter 25**

A small knock from outside the door snapped Annabeth out if her trance. She looked up from her sitting position on the grand bed to see the knob twist, opening just a crack to reveal the face of none other than Prince Luke. His face twisted in confusion as he saw the princess, eyes rimmed red and skin pale.

"May I come in, princess?" Luke asked with great care in his voice.

Annabeth hesitated, but eventually nodded.

"You hesitated." Luke stated, stepping inside, nevertheless. "What's wrong?" He tilted his head to the side.

"Nothing." Annabeth lied, her voice was shaky and weak. She honestly didn't want him here right now. Luke came forward, walking across the room. "May I?" He asked, gesturing to the empty space on the bed beside Annabeth. She said nothing, made no move. But the prince sat down anyway.

A few moments of silence passed until Luke decided to press the matter. "Tell me, what happened? I know I have no right to bardge into your private life like this, but maybe I can help." He said.

Annabeth pondered this for a bit. She didn't know what to feel anymore. She didn't know what to do. She felt like everything was closing in on her, suffocating her slowly, drowning her in the darkness. She felt like she was stuck in a maze, no way to get out. But then, what was there to loose if she asked for advice?

"Have you ever..." Annabeth breathed out. "Betrayed someone? Did something unspeakable? " she closed her eyes. "And wanting that someone to forgive you even if you know what you've done is unforgivable."

"Actually, yes." Luke said, his voice almost a whisper. "I broke a promise to a girl once. I tried desperately to earn her forgiveness, but eventually gave up." Annabeth looked up at him, seeing a grieving expression on his face. "That was my mistake. I shrugged it off, thinking we'd make up sooner or later. But we didn't. I shouldn't of gave up on her, I should've done everything. I thought I have, but now I realized I didn't. And now it's way too late to fix things." He looked at Annabeth directly, a serious expression on his face. "Do not make the same mistake as I did, Annabeth. Regret nothing."

Annabeth nodded. "Thank you." She said. Luke gave her a warm smile and stood up. She watched as he walked to the door and left the room. His words replayed over and over in her mind.

Regret nothing.

...

Thalia walked across the hall, carfully balancing the tray of cookies in both hands. She was making her way to Annabeth's room to deliver her favorite treats. That is, until she got a haunt from her past.

"Thalia...?" A disbelieving whisper was heard infront of her. A young man dressed in a white coat, had blond hair, familiar blue eyes and a scar running from his jaw to his eye stood there, a meer four feet away.

"Luke...?" Thalia was so surprised she almost dropped the silver tray in her hands. Her expression quickly hardened, her electric blue eyes narrowing into an accusing glare. "Forgive me, my prince." She said coldly. "I will be on my way." She tried to walk past him, but he grabbed her arm, stopping her in her tracks.

She stared strait ahead, keeping her glare.

"Thalia, please. I need to tell you that I'm sorry." The prince pleaded. "I-I never meant to-"

"Save me the excuses, Luke." Thalia spat his name as if it were poison in her mouth. "As you said, your betreyal wasn't your fault." She freed her arm roughly from his grasp and kept walking forward. "Trator." She muttered just loud enough for him to hear.

Luke sighed. "Thalia..."

...

"Listen up!" Clarisse spoke infront of the assembly of knights gathered before her, sword being swung back and forth as she paced the floor. "The annual royal ball will be held in two days, and we need a few escorts for the royal family's grand entrance!" She announced. "The ball will be held in the Southern Kingdom, and of course, Reyna and I will come. Lord Ares will be training the soldiers remaining here. And so, I conclude we will need ten more companions."

"And so," Reyna spoke as she came to stand next to Clarisse. "We will be choosing the top ten best soldiers for the job." She whispered something into Clarisse's ear for a while and the other girl nodded.

"Michael Yew," Reyna called out. "Jason Grace, Charles Beckendorf and Mark LaRue. You will be guarding the chariot of the king and queen. Grace will escort the Queen and Yew will escort the king. LaRue and Beckendorf will drive the chariot."

"Castor and Pollux Dione, and Percy Jackson." Clarisse called, snapping Percy to attention. "You will guard the Princess's chariot. Diones drive, and Jackson escorts."

Percy's eyes widened, but he was smart enough not to show reaction. Seriously?! He's assigned to guard the one person he's trying to avoid?!

"Wallows, Zhang, and Levesque. You guard the perimiter along side us." Reyna stated. "Is that clear? Dismissed!" She said and left, her metalic dogs at her heals.

Jason nudged his elbow againts Percy's side, grinning. "Hey, hey, hey! Look who gets to escort the princess!" He exclaimed. Percy, obviously irritated, simply pushed past him and left the arena to find some food for this break.

And maybe find a way to disguise his identity before the ball.

...

"Another ball?" Annabeth groaned.

"Yes." Frederick said. "And you are required to wear a gown." Annabeth groaned in protest.

"Are the boys coming?" She asked. Frederick shook his head with a small smile. Annabeth groaned again. Without Matthew and Bobby messing around, no ball is fun.

"And your escort for the dance...?" He asked. "Luke?"

"No." Annabeth shook her head. "Whoever escorts me out of the chariot, I suppose. I'll take my chances." She said, too frustrated to think of any other options.

The king nodded approvingly. "According to the reports of General Ares, your escort is... um, Jackson, was it?"

Annabeth's eyes lit up. "Well, escort it is then!"

...

**Well this was shorter than expected... **

**Thanks to all the people who gave me ideas but I am currently thinking of a new plot twist... **

**And more Percabeth later...**

**Also, tell me if you want some Thaluke! :)**

**And still considering the make-up chapter... or a non-make up chapter... **

**~Apollo'sAwesomePirateDaughter**


	26. Chapter 26

**Hello lovlies! You don't know how much i love reading your reviews! Specially Swan Destiny's. Thanks for all the suggestions and supporting the story! :)**

**Update time once again! And based on the reviews... this chapter may or may not be a make-up chapter... (pray to the gods this isnt a cliff hanger cuz even im confused)**

**Chapter 26**

The sun was descending from the sky at a sluggishly slow pace, the warm breeze blew across the kingdom, putting everyone at ease this afternoon. It was the type of afternoon that made you want to sit under a tree and have a contented nap after having a big lunch. Though, one person in this kingdom wasn't exactly feeling contented and relaxed this afternoon.

Annabeth waited anxiously at her balcony for the afternoon sky to settle in, hands tensing nervously on the railing. She wore a slim, blue dress with patches of silver running across it. The sleeves were long, reaching up to her wrists. The fabric was a little thinner so it wasn't hot and sticking to her skin, but not so thin that it was see-through.

Annabeth let out a frustrated sigh and marched over to her bed, throwing herself face-down onto the pillows. It took all her will power to keep from screaming into them. In fact, she was about to until she heard her bedroom door click open.

"Annabeth?" A familiar voice called. She recognised it as Thalia. She heard her friend stifle a small laugh and she groaned in reply. "Get read for the ball, princess." She mocked. Even if she was facing downwards, she could tell the older girl was grinning. "Your knight in shining armour's waiting."

"Shut up!" Came Annabeth's muffled voice. Thalia stifled another laugh before closing the door. A few seconds later, Annabeth pushed herself off the mattress and stood up. She sliped on her blue shoes and fixed her hair up with the silver circlet her father gave her. It fit perfectly so her hair flowed down her shoulders in golden curls.

Annabeth stared at herself in the mirror, seeing those stormy grey eyes stare back at her. She took a deep breath.

Its go time.

...

As Annabeth made her way out of the palace, careful not to trip on her gown, she spotted the two graceful carriages parked before her. They were painted white and gold to be pulled by four white mares each. And by the side of those carriages were the soldiers, patrolling the perimiter, ready to escort the royal family. Annabeth frantically searched under every helmet for those familiar sea-green eyes she wanted to see, but she figured she wouldn't see anything from this distance.

A warm hand landed on her shoulder. She looked up to see her father smiling down at her, his golden crown and gold-lined robes glinting in the sunlight. She smiled back up at him and he passed her a knowing look before proceding to his carriage, his wife by his side.

"Princess." Annabeth looked to her left to see another knight dressed in full armour, holding his hand out to her. Now, she didn't know that much knights, but this one's voice was familiar to her ears, and she already had an idea of the person under that armour. She took his gauntlet covered hand and allowed herself to be led to her own carriage. All the while squinting at him, trying to sneek a glance at the eyes under his helmet.

Annabeth was led up the steps of the carriage and was seated in the velvet sheets. The curtains for the small window were pulled down so she couldn't see outside. The knight wordlessly seated himslef opposite of Annabeth, closer to the door. In fact, he was seated as far away as he could from her. He closed the door shut and opened the small sliding pannel that let you talk with the driver, which was placed right behind him.

"We're good to go, Pollux." He said.

"Alright, Percy!" The one outside replied cheerfully, and for some reason, the princess's escort muttered what sounded like a death threat to the other knight.

Annabeth raised her eyebrow as the knight slammed the pannel closed, a small grin threatening to show on her face. "Percy?" She asked, her voice barely above a whisper. If the boy in the carriage heard what she had said, he gave no indication that he did. He sat quietly in his spot opposite from her.

A few moments of silence passed as they made their way to the Southern Kingdom. It wasn't really that far. If the conditions were right, it would only take less than an hour to get there. All the while, Percy was unusually quiet, making Annabeth all the more guilty.

"You know," Annabeth finally said. "There's going to be this big dance at the ball." Percy didn't reply, his helmet pulled down low. "And," Annabeth continued. "It was decided that whoever my escort was today would have to be my partner for the dance."

Percy's head suddenly tilted up, his armour squeaking a little bit. Annabeth could see the worry and the hurt still lingering in his eyes. She missed those mesmerizing sea green eyes, though it pained her to know he still hated her. Yet who could blame him?

"Uh... really?" Percy asked disbelievingly, voice muffled by his helmet.

"Yeah." Annabeth tilted her head a bit and gave a small, good-natured smile, resting her palm on the empty cushion by her side. "I guess I can pay back that dance I owe you."

Percy remained quiet after that comment and a hint of fear enveloped Annabeth's heart. She feared she might have said something wrong and messed this up again. She mentally cursed herself repeatedly for an entire minute. She just HAD to bring that up.

"You're lucky we had to wear some formal uniform under this armour." Percy said, a hint of amusement in his voice. That surprised Annabeth. "So, you're okay with that?" She asked, leaning forward in anticipation.

Percy shruged. "Sure." Annabeth's heart lifted up at his reply. "It's responsibility." And her heart crashed down again.

It was silent again for what seemed like an eternity. And it wasn't the usual comfortable silence between the two, as there was a lot of tension in the atmosphere.

After a few more minutes, Percy brought his hands up to remove his helmet since it was getting quite hot. He laid it down by his side and straightened out his raven dark hair, which, of course, would remain untamed no matter what you try to do. Annabeth was unknowingly staring at him. And after a few minutes, Percy turned to look at her.

"What?" He demanded, raising an eyebrow. Annabeth blushed and quickly averted her eyes. "What what?" She countered, scowling at herself, feeling the warmth creep up her cheeks.

Percy smirked, amusement twinkling in his eyes. "You were staring." He stated. Annabeth was by now crimson red. "Was not!" She yelled.

Then he laughed. A pure, well-meant, heart-warming laugh. Annabeth smiled, her blush fading to faint, pink tint. She missed that laugh, and it was music to her ears. She felt as if they were fine and nothing had happened. It felt like how it was once and how it always should be, but she wasn't sure if she wanted it to always be exactly like this .

Percy quieted down and kept his eyes lowered to the carriage floor, his smile quickly fading. Annabeth frowned automatically and felt her heart get crushed again. She hated it when this happens. One second they're fine, the next they're total strangers. But to be honest, she didn't know what to say. She didn't know what to do or what to feel. All she could do was sit there awkwardly, seeing Percy's unreadable expression.

Annabeth sighed and turned to her right. She put her hand up to lift the curtains covering the window, just to get a peek, oblivious to Percy's gaze following her every move.

She saw that the sun was setting already, and they were driving across a familiar road of cobblestone, the roadside decorated with patches of bushes that sprang beautiful and colorful flowers. A sudden blare of trumpets from a distance made Annabeth jump in her seat, so did Percy.

"We're close." Percy said recovering from the initial shock from the trumpets, grabbing his helmet that lay by his side and put it on. "C'mon."

Annabeth felt the chariot come to a stop, and the trumpets blared right outside her chariot.

"ANNOUNCING!" A loud voice came from right outside. "THE KING AND QUEEN OF OLYMPIA- LORD FREDERICK AND LADY SUSAN!"

After a few moments, the chariot moved forward a few feet and abruptly stopped.

"ANNOUNCING," The voice blared again. "THE PRINCESS OF OLYMPIA- PRINCESS ANNABETH!"

"That's our cue." Percy muttered an opened the door of the carriage, stepping outside, holding out his hand to the princess. "Well?" He asked impatiently.

Annabeth took his hand and stepped outside, seeing crowds gathered on either side of a restricted isle leading up to the entrance of the stone palace, candle lamps glinting by the grand doors. The crowd cheered as she walked as gracefully as she can (which wasn't that graceful) down the isle, her hand resting on Percy's armour covered forearm. She felt him tense a bit as they walked, causing her to tense as well. She slid her hand down his arm, taking his hand in hers. Percy gave her a quizzical look and she just smiled. "I prefer this than that nonesense 'formal forearm hold'." She said, putting their hands in between them. Percy visibly relaxed, though she couldn't see his actual expression with his helmet on.

They walked up the steps and into the light of the ballroom of the Southern Kingdom's palace.

"I'll be back for the dance later." Percy told her as soon as they got inside the massive ballroom, with the golden chandeleir hanging from the tall, domed ceiling, and the polished marble floor. "I'm on guard duty." He stated and quickly left.

Annabeth could only nod as she was distracted by the amazing architecture and construction of this ballroom. This was far better than their own kingdom's ballroom. She made a mental note to ask for some renovation requests from her father.

...

The ball went by slowly, classical music echoed through the room, played by the orchestra at one corner. Chatting voices of different royal and high people sounded everywhere, laughing, talking and the occasional dances.

All the while, Annabeth roamed the ballroom, occasionally greeting some relatives and, at one point, had a short chat with her father and step-mother. She greeted the king and queen of the Southern Kingdom, Hermes and May Castellan, Luke's parents. And a little later, she ran into Luke himself by the buffet table.

"Oh, hey Luke!" Annabeth greeted as she took a small piece of chocolate from one of the silver platters on the table.

"Hello, Princess." Luke smiled, yet it was not as bright and not as wide. It was obvious something was bothering him.

Annabeth lowered her chocolate. "Is there something wrong, Luke?" She asked. The prince immediately gave her a reasuring smile, but she noticed the falseness behind it. "I'm fine." He said. "But I must leave. We'll talk again next time, alright?" He didn't wait for a reply and rushed off, leaving Annabeth quite confused. So was every boy she found interesting suddenly avoiding her?

...

Percy sighed and took off the last of his armour, which was his iron breastplate. He smoothened out his formal clothes- a white, long-sleeved shirt, trousers, boots, and a blue cape wrapped around his back, giving a 'musketeer' sort of appearance. Jason and the other knights wore almost the same clothes except they differ in the color of the capes and trousers.

They were outside the palace, guarding the gates. Percy sat on a long, wooden stool just by the open, grand doors, listening to the cheer and laughter from inside. Jason came and sat next to him, no longer wearing his armour. He fixed his orange cape around his neck.

"You know," the younger knight said. "You guys should really talk. Just to clear up any misunderstandings." He suggested.

Percy glared hard at the stone floor. "There aren't any misunderstandings. No denials. No confrontations." He said.

Jason gave a dissapointed sigh. "You guys still have to talk." He urged. "You are best friends. You should be able to understand each other. Keep your promises."

"That's the thing." Percy's hands curled into fists. "She broke her promise. She said she'd keep the secret!"

"Well, I still don't know about this promise, but you also promised to be her friend forever. To be there for her." Jason reasoned. Percy remained silent, his fists unclenching slowly, his expression softening.

"Maybe," he said slowly. "Maybe you're right. Maybe I should-"

"Jackson!" A voice hollered to his left. It was Clarisse, still in full armour walking towards them. "It's dance time with the princess. Get your butt in there." She smirked.

"Alright, alright. " Percy grumbled, stood up, and walked passed her, into the palace doors.

He had to resist from sheilding his eyes from the blinding light. The ballroom was marvellous, with it's white and gold domed ceiling, pearly white floors, glistening high walls and basically it's architecture was constructed in full detail and with careful planning. Just how Annabeth loved it .

The music had stopped playing as the royal crowd gathered in a circle, leaving a wide space in the middle of the ballroom floor. Percy watched as the king of the Southern Kingdom lead his wife by the hand into the middle of the ballroom and danced as the music started playing again, this time with a softer, more delicate, and romantic melody.

He felt someone tap his shoulder right next to him. He looked beside him to see Annabeth, dressed in a beautiful blue and silver dress topped off with a silver circlet on her head. Percy subconsciously blushed, his cheeks turning a light shade of pink. She looked simply stunning, amazingly beautiful.

Annabeth smiled up at him, her gray eyes sparkling." So do you want to dance?" She asked, tilting her head towards the middle of the ballroom.

Percy shook himself out of his trance and took her hand in his as gently as he could. He put on a small smile and led her by the hand to the dance floor.

"To be honest, I'm not that good a dancer." Percy admitted.

Annabeth laughed. "Well, let's see." She stopped, putting a hand on his shoulder. "Who knows, you're dancing could be really good, or as bad as your swordplay."

"Ha,Ha. Very funny." Percy grumbled, nevertheless putting a hand on the princess's waist. Though he was smiling. "My swordplay's not that bad, anyway." He defended.

"Oh, really?" Annabeth challenged.

"Yes." Percy smirked. "It's surely better than yours!" He said as they started to dance in sync with the gentle music. "All you know how to fight with is a knife."

Annabeth raised her eyebrow. "Is that a challenge?" Percy only grinned in reply. "Well then," Annabeth put on a smug smile. "Challenge accepted."

Percy laughed as they danced, making Annabeth laugh as well. It felt like as if they we're still good old friends, as if there was nothing wrong. Yet Annabeth knew that deep inside, they were both dying to say something they've been holding in for quite a long time.

"Seaweed Brain." Annabeth muttered subconsciously.

"Wise Girl." Percy retorted. Annabeth let out a small laugh. "Still haven't figured out a good enough comeback?" She said.

Percy grinned. "I don't think I want to come up with another one." He said. "It suits you."

"You're head's full of kelp. " Annabeth stated. Percy laughed again, a melody to her ears.

They danced across the dance floor, oblivious to the people around watching. They didn't care. They didn't want this moment to be over. Simple, happy, peaceful.

Then, Annabeth frowned down at the floor. No matter how good everything was, she knew she couldn't escape the problem at hand. She knew that this peace was only temporary. Soon, everything would be a battle field again. She hated to be the one to end this peace, but she also needed to end this silent war. She needed to fix this. She needed to fix her mistake. And she couldn't fix anything without a proper solution.

Annabeth let her hand slide down from Percy's shoulder. She separated herself from him and tried to leave. But Percy held her hand tight, giving her those sad, confused, puppy-dog eyes. "Annabeth-"

"Percy, please." She cut him off. "I... I need to think, alright. I-I have to...ugh." Annabeth mentally scolded herself for how dramatic she was being. She forcefully pulled her hand out from Percy's and power walked away.

The crowd parted to let Annabeth pass, she knew Percy was following her. She tried to lose him around the palace. She walked up the stone steps and around a corner, losing the footsteps behind her.

She walked strait down the dim hallway and ended up in front of two, regulars glass and wooden doors. She pushed them open to find herself on a balcony. The cold, midnight air wafted over her and only the light of the moon gave her sight.

She calmly walked over to the railing, squinting in the night. She put her hands on the cold, stone railing and felt like she was suffocating despite herslef. Annabeth tried to stop them, to stop the tears and emotion from engulfing her. To stop this overflow of drama from overtaking her. She needed to think. She needed to think of a solution to this problem. She felt like there were a thousand voices screaming inside her head, problems wanting to get out, dreams wanting to turn into reality. Her heart raced, her pulse sped up and she felt like screaming for everything to stop.

It it did. She felt a warm hand on her shoulder.

"Annabeth?" It was unmistakably Percy.

Annabeth looked over her shoulder to find him standing there, looking down at her. She never felt happier to have someone here with her when she needed someone most, even though she was trying to run away from him.

"Hey." She greeted quietly.

Percy swiftly moved to take off his blue cape and put it around Annabeth carefully, his arms going around her to wrap the cape around her shoulders.

"I thought you'd get cold." Percy stated simply, his breath tickling Annabeth's neck. She was cold.

She wrapped the cape around her arms tightly and they stood there silently.

A small, orange glow gave them light from the open doors behind them. The laughter of the crowds back at the ballroom sounded far and dull.

"Percy," Annabeth said quietly. "Listen, I'm sorry. I never meant to break the promise. I was... well, I don't know. It was stupid of me to do that. I don't even know why. " She took a deep breath. "And I know I've basically betrayed you. And I'm sorry. I... I was an idiot, really. But you are still my best friend and you mean the world to me, so I'm sorry, okay? I'm sorry. For everything."

Percy shifted his weight from foot to foot. "Sorry for ignoring you like that." He said. "I guess I really just felt betrayed. But you know," he smiled. "I'll forgive you no matter what."

Annabeth smiled. She felt like a weight was lifted off her chest. She felt relieved of all the pain.

She turned to him, sea green eyes meeting stormy gray.

Then, she hugged him. Wrapping her arms around his waist. Percy was stunned for a moment, before wrapping his arms around her as well. She felt comforted with the warmth that engulfed her. She felt happy. There was no other way to say it.

She looked up, once again their gazes , she lost control. It was like her body gravitated toward him and vice versa, closing the distance between them.

They kissed.

It was a light, soft kiss. A fuzzy warmth engulfed Annabeth as she felt his warm lips press gently against hers. It lasted for only a few seconds, but it felt like an eternity of bliss.

"Wow." Percy said, breaking the kiss. Yet their foreheads remained touching.

Annabeth let out a small, giddy laugh. "Wow indeed." She looked up, both their gazes meeting again.

"Annabeth, I..." Percy said.

"Yeah?" Annabeth urged.

"I have to tell you something."

"What is it?"

"I...

I have to leave."

**LALALALALA. IT ENDS HERE. **

**The chapter, I mean. **

**So yeah... internal debate over and this was decided. I just finished watching The Amazing Spider Man so I keep imagining Gwen and Peter in place of Percy and Annabeth so dam it to Hades. =_=**

**Yeah, um, tell me what you think should happen if you want to, but I already have something planned. Sorry to Swan Destiny. I really loved your suggestion, but I already have a plot bridge. (Yay!) But still, thanks for your support and awesomeness! :)**

**Okay, I guess that's it for now. Hopefully I'll update soon. I might be able to start writing the next chapter by next week. But you have to admit that chapter's extremely long. **

**Bye! :)**

**~Apollo'sAwesomPirateDaughterXD.**


	27. Chapter 27

**OMG GUYS. I Am SO SO SO SO SO SO SO SORRY.**

**Listen, I had a HELL A LOT A STUFF I need to do the past month. You DO NOT know, or need to know, what Tartarus I've been through. So now, here I am, updating again, and you can expect another chapter soon enough. **

**Again, I AM SORRY. **

**But I hope you like this one. I'll be back soon! :)**

**Chapter 27**

"What?" Annabeth exclaimed in disbeleif. "Percy... you can't..."

Percy let out a frustrated sigh, taking both the princess's hands in his. "We... we have to go to war soon. Sometime around this month, we'd have to fight against the army of the kingdom of Tartarus." He explained. Annabeth remained quiet. "The king's enemy is Kronos. And basically, he's going to declare war on Olympia in a week or so. And the army, of course, would have-"

"To be sent to the battle field." Annabeth finished. "To fight for the kingdom."

Percy nodded. "Annabeth, I would stay if I could, but-"

"You already left." Annabeth said, her voice low and serious. "You left for FOUR years. And now you're leaving again? Why- how-? "

"I promised you I'd come back, didn't I? And I kept it. I kept that promise. And I can keep it again. I always will." Percy said, keeping his hands on her's. "I've never broken a promise, remember?"

Annabeth nodded. Percy smiled making her smile too. He ever so slightly lifted her chin up with a finger and leaned in close until their foreheads touched. "Although I may have to break one promise."

"And what would that be?" Annabeth inquired.

"Being just your friend." He said and closed the distance between them, stealing another kiss from her. She felt her heart race and her cheeks burn. Her hands found their way around his neck, entangling themselves in his raven black hair as his interlocked themselves around her waist.

"Really, Seaweed Brain?" Annabeth laughed after they broke the kiss. "That is so cheezy." She grinned. "Been taking lessons from Piper?"

Percy laughed as well, his green eyes glinting. "Yeah, whatever Wise Girl." He muttered. "I love you."

"What was that?"

Percy ramined silent, his cheeks glowing red. "N-nothing."

Annabeth laughed. "Oh, please. You already kissed me. Might as well say it. " she said.

Both of them laughed into the night, and then, silence descended.

Things immediately got solemn. Annabeth's face fell and she turned away, her hands resting on the railing of the balcony. "So, when are you leaving?" She asked, her voice turning serious again.

Percy sighed and rested his hands on the railing beside her. "Unsure. Maybe by next week."

There was another long silence, up until the distant dinging of the clock tower striking midnight interrupted it.

"Midnight." Percy said, his hand going protectively over Annabeth's and she held on back. "We'd better get back to the carriage." Annabeth nodded and the two made their way down the dimly lit hallway and back to the ballroom.

...

As soon as they were back in the carriage, Annabeth sat next to Percy and rested her head on his shoulder. Suddenly, she felt the heaviness of her body crash down upon her. She felt tired and weak and diceded to just let sleep overwhelm her, slowly closing her eyes to the rocking of the carriage, her head still resting on Percy's shoulder. Exhausted both physically and mentally, Annabeth decided that sleep would be very, very good for her.

...

For some reason, when Annabeth woke up, it was morning. She sat up blindly, tossing back her velvety sheets. After blinking a few times, she realized that she was in her bedroom, the morning light streaming in through the glass doors of her balcony. She also realised she was in her night gown. Wait a second. She didn't recall going up to her bedroom last night, much less changing out of her gown...

Annabeth felt the heat rise to her cheeks.

A sudden knock from outside her carefully carved bedroom door echoed through the large room. The door opened just enough for a person to slip in through.

"Morning, Thalia." Annabeth greeted her daily visitor, sitting up properly in her bed. Thalia was wearing her long-sleeved, brown shirt and her usual long skirt. "Morning, Annabeth. " the dark haired girl said as she smiled politely. "You've woken up rather late this day. Probably worn out from last night, huh?"

Annabeth only nodded in reply as Thalia continued talking. "You won't even believe Piper's reaction last night. " she said, her polite smile replaced by a playful grin. "She was waiting for you to ask how it went, but you we're so asleep Percy had to carry you up to your bedroom." She let out a small laugh, feeling excited as Annabeth felt the heat creep back up her cheeks. "And then the scene was so "romantic" Piper almost fainted. By the way, she admires you two. A lot. And I didn't know weather to vomit or coo. So I went for laughing." Thalia gushed as Annabeth was sure she was the shade of a bright red tomato. "And basically Percy went into your room and seeing you now, he probably changed your clothes for you, too."

"Alright, enough." Annabeth scowled, her cheeks still redder than a shiny red apple.

Thalia burst out laughing. "I'm sorry." She said, wiping a tear from her eye. "But either way, what Percy did was really sweet." She said, turning serious.

"Then why were you laughing?" The princess inquired, crossing her arms.

"Because you'd be so embarrassed. " the maiden stated simply, a small grin on her face.

Annabeth fummed at her friend saying nothing more in reply. Then, she left the room with a sharp click of the door knob.

The princess groaned in frustration and begrudingly swung her legs over the side of the bed. She stood up shakily as dark flashes dances before her eyes. After recovering, Annabeth instantly walked over to the balcony doors. Swinging the glass doors open, she stepped outside.

A blast of late morning sunlight spread upon her skin. She calmly walked over to the stone railing of her balcony and set her hands upon them, letting the breeze blow upon her tangled hair and night gown.

She closed her eyes, thinking of every little thing that had happened last night. She felt that everything was still, until a stone bounced up into her balcony.

Annabeth opened her eyes at the clink of stone right next to her. Soon enough, another stone made it's way into her balcony. She leaned over the side and saw there Percy with a hand full of pebbles. He wore his normal, everyday clothes and was looking up to her with shining green eyes and jet balck hair ruffled in the wind.

Annabeth couldn't help but smile. "Percy, what are you doing?" She asked with a laugh.

"What are you doing, still in your night gown?" Percy smiled similarly. "It's almost noon."

She shrugged. "Sleepy. Hold on, Seaweed Brain." She laughed and took the rope pile at the side of her balcony and tossed it off the side of the railing. As usual, the one end was tied fast to it and it dangled down for Percy to climb.

The knight took it in one hand, looking up at the princess. "Really now? You're making me climb up this rope?"

"Well would you rather take the stairs?"

He paused for a while. Then he said "Nah. I'll climb. Here I come, Rapunzel."

"Oh, shut up and climb."

After a few minutes, Percy rached the top and Annabeth helped haul him up. He sat on the stone railing, panting a little. "Did you enjoy your trip?" Annabeth smiled at him.

"I would've done better without the wind." He muttered, but was smiling nonetheless. "So, um, about -uh- last night...?"

Annabeth felt the blush from earlier creep back onto her face. "So you actually... meant it? What you said?"

Percy swung his legs over the side of the railing, facing her this time and standing up. He was taller than her by an inch or so, but still Annabeth felt like he was so much older and matured. But inside she knew he was still that same, playful and childish Seaweed Brain who she'd come to love.

"Well, yeah." Percy said, looking into her eyes. "I love you. No denying. "

Annabeth felt her heart beat hard againts her chest. She felt dumb for staring, but she couldn't help it. Even though she wouldn't admit it, she loved him too.

Percy smirked. "Tongue tied, I see." He said, laughing.

Annabeth rolled her eyes at him. "I'm not tongue tied, Seaweed Brain."

"Admit it. You think I'm hot."

"You are an idiot."

Percy just laughed at that, and Annabeth laughed as well. But before she could say anything else, a loud bell coming from the west sounded. Percy paled and Annabeth was worried.

"What is it?" The princess asked.

"Emergency traning. That's the bell from the arena." Percy replied.

Annabeth felt her heart sink at him having to go so soon. He just got here, and now he's leaving. Great.

Percy tried to give her a reasuring smile and squeezed her hand. "Don't worry, I'll be back soon, okay? Tonight." He said.

"Promise?" Annabeth asked hopefully, yet he only stared at the ground. Annabeth had as much doubt in her heart as Percy did, and they both felt like screaming to the heavens of how unfair the situation was.

"I..." Percy started, not meeting her eyes. "I can't promise you that. I'm sorry. But I will do everything I can. And I can promise that."

Annabeth forced a smile. "Okay, Seaweed Brain. Just be careful."

He simply smirked. "Alright , bye! I love you, Wise Girl!" He said, grabbing the dangling rope and jumping off the balcony like an idiot and disappeared over the railing. After a few seconds, there was a loud _thump _and a groan of pain. "Remind me to _never _do that again!"

Percy was out of breath and was drenched in sweat when he reached the arena. There was a large crowd of muttering soldiers gathered around the central platform where- not Reyna or Clarisse- but where General Ares was standing.

Percy gulped. If _Ares _was there, it would mean serious business. He joined the crowd, putting on his chain-mail armour like the rest of them.

Ares was a tall, buff man who always wore the traditional silver and gold armour of the kingdom. His face was always hidden under his iron helmet and his eyes shone like blazing fire in the darkness. After a few minutes of observing the crowd, Ares raised his hand and immediately halted the muttering soldiers.

"As you all know," Ares's voice boomed around the arena. "We are all at war. The neighboring kingdom, Tartarus, has declared war against our kingdom. That wretched _King Kronos," _he spat the enemy's name out as if it was venom in his mouth, " has declared war against this kingdom. We are this land's defense. We are its protectors, saviours, heroes. We must all stand against the army of Tartarus in the Battle Field the day after tomorrow. This is what you have all been training so hard for. And we will be training today up until tonight. And we will train tomorrow without rest. Our only rest will be our sleep. And at dawn the next day, we will march towards the Battle Feild and fight your first war. Be alert. Be strong. Do _not _let the enemy win. Some of you may not return from this war, but know that you will always be honoured and remembered as a hero who fought for Olympia. "

Percy felt both a surge of courage and heartbroken at the same time. He had no problem with fighting for his kingdom, but he won't be able to see Annabeth at all. Maybe not ever.

"Alright, maggets!" Clarisse's voice screamed from behind Ares. She and Reyna stepped into the light. "Time to start hardcore training 101!"

**Well then... imma leave you at that. Its extremely hard to write in a school bus that drives like the ground's covered in large stones. I swear.**

**Ciao! XD ~Apollo''sAwesomeWriterLittleGirl**


	28. Chapter 28

_**HELLO PEOPLE! **_

**Seriously though, you guys rock! Thanks for all the support! And thanks to Swan Destiny for constantly reviewing and being awesome! (And **_**ofcourse **_**i'll read your new fanfic! :) )**

**Again,.thank you all so much! Here is le updatireeno.**

The sun had already just set when they had the time to rest. Everyone was sore, tired, sweaty and numb in the arms. Though Percy felt simply miserable. Annabeth was waiting for him, and he had no way of contacting her. Making it to the palace on foot and having a chat with her for a few minutes and getting back here in time? Impossible.

They sat on the wooden benches placed conveniently around the arena. Percy's hair was dripping wet and was getting in his eyes. His armour was hot and was adding to the weight on his body. And his sword arm and legs were sore and turning numb.

"Hey, Percy." Jason greeted as he flopped right down on the bench next to his cousin. He looked just as tired and and drained. He would've comforted him, but he knew better. He might as well be whacked in the face with Riptide.

Percy grumbled. "What?" He put his shaking hands in front of him and took of his training gauntlets. "I can't even get to the palace to tell her."

Jason knew what his problematic cousin was talking about and felt bad for him. He felt lucky for being with Piper, but still. He wanted to help his cousin but he didn't know how. It's not like he could just call on a messenger and send them to the palace in a short period of time...

Wait. Messenger. Palace. An idea formed in Jason's head.

"You know what," Jason nudged Percy's shoulder. "You can ask Thalia to send a messege for you. You won't have much time but it's a possibility! Tommorow morning, maybe."

For a second, Percy's green eyes lit up. "I never thought about that." He muttered to himself. Suddenly, Clarisse's commanding voice ordered the training session back on again. "Thanks, Jase." He thanked his cousin as he stood up, making Jason feel proud of himself. _Man, I'm awesome, _he thought.

As it turned out, the training sessions lasted through the night. By the time the two cousins got home, it was almost midnight. The soldiers trudged back home to the Servan'ts Den to get a good night's rest until they had to wake up before dawn, anticipating a bloody war where they will probably never return. _Hooray! _

Percy and Jason walked into the house, dragging their swords behind them. They both collapsed face-down on their beds not bothering to change. Their pained groans woke Nico up from his peaceful slumber.

"Man, you guys smell horrible!" He muttered, covering his nose with his sleeve. He only got a couple of groans in reply. "This is worse than your first day of training." Nico continued. "Meaning you're going to have louder snores and I'll have a sleepless night." He sighed and tried to go back to sleep.

Percy was so tired he almost completely forgot about Thalia.

He woke up before sunrise the next morning and shook his cousin awake screaming "THALIA, WAKE UP! THALIA!" Which only resulted in narrowly missing a smack in the face.

"What?!" His elder cousin grumbled. Her dark hair was still dishiveled and her eyes were still squinting in the darkness.

"I-uh, I needed you to send a message to Annabeth later." That cooled her down a little. "Tell her that I have to go to war tomorrow." Then that shocked her. "And I can't make it to her tonight." Then dissapointed her. "And say I'm sorry for not making it to her last night." And dissapointed her even more. "And that I... tell her that I love her. Okay?" And made her bite back a squeal.

Thalia nodded, grinning. "Oh, don't worry. I'll tell her as soon as I can." She said, filling Percy with releif. "Thanks, Thals. I knew I could count on you. Sorry, but I have to go, bye!" He gave her a hug and rushed to his room to get his armour.

In the meantime, Thalia wanted to jump up and down and watch her best friend and cousin actually kiss and get married already. After a good breakfast, she said goodbye to her Uncle Poseidon and Aunt Sally and made her way to the palace to tell the princess some very, very bad news, but she was squealing at that 2% of good news.

As Thalia reached the palace, she noticed the silver and blue chariot parked in the courtyard. She greeted the two guards at the gate good morning.

"Hey,These," she asked before entering the gates. "Who's chariot is that? Is there a royal visitor?"

These, the stouter one, laughed heartily. "I hear a young prince visits this morning. Just had breakfast with the royal family." He said in his gruff, Viking accent. "Probably from... what kingdom was it again? Northern? Southern?"

Argus, the taller, leaner one, rolled his eyes. "It's from the Castellan Family, you idiot. " he scoffed and These simply grunted back.

"Of you go, lass. Good day!" He said.

Thalia, on the other hand, was mortified. The _Castellan Family. _Basically, the _young prince _was on her list of people to not see ever again until she dies. Infact she would rather die than risk a confrontation with...him.

She shook off the weird feeling in her bones and just decided to avoid the mess hall. Yet she had made a huge mistake. The best place she could have gone was the mess hall.

As Thalia made her way across the courtyard, a jittery feeling took over her once more. She felt like she was stepping closer and closer into a trap. She glanced around, seeing no signs of people. She made her way forward up until the front doors opened.

Thalia froze. Out stepped a boy dressed in fine, royal clothes and had sandy blond hair and sky blue eyes. He had a scar under his left eye from a lethal sword fight.

The prince's eyes fixed on the young maiden, and they were both in a trance. "Th-thalia?" Luke sputtered.

Thalia's expression hardened as all the bitterness and anger washed through her. She'd tried to forget her past life, leave it behind. But noooo. _He _had to be here.

She bowed her head before the prince, her electric blue eyes stone cold. "Prince Luke of the Southern Kingdom." She acknowledged and tried to move past him. But he held her arm back. "No." He said firmly. "We need to talk. I... I need to tell you-"

"Oh, just shut up, Luke!" Thalia pulled her arm harshly out of his grasp. "You had your chance and you blew it! Now stop trying no flirt with Annabeth. She-"

"I came here for you, Thalia." He said, his eyes bore into hers. "I know it's one too many years too late, but I need you to know that I'm sorry. All of that... all that we had, I left just for some stupid job. And I'm sorry. I've never slept through one night without having nightmares or memories. Please, I just want to make this right. I love you, Thals."

She was taken aback by that. She could never look him in the eyes and tell him she doesn't love him back. She knew he wasn't lying, but she still wanted to kill him.

"I don't want you here." She said, looking straight ahead. "You shouldn't have come. You will get nothing."

"Please," the prince pleaded. "I don't care how many people say that I'm stepping low. I know that I've betrayed you, and I am sorry. Thalia, I need you. Please... "

It took her a while to reply. She didn't know what to say.

"Just like you." She muttered. "Just like you to rush into a choice and regret it. I fled your kingdom knowing that I'd bring shame to your family. That's what you said, right? And now you chase me back here and try to mess up my life all over again. You said you regretted me. You-you said..." her voice broke. Luke knew she was either on the verge of tears on the verge of punching him. Or both.

"Thalia, I never meant what I... okay, maybe I did. But I was wrong. I also meant that I love you. I also meant that I would never forget you. I was wrong to betray you. I'm here to beg for your forgiveness if I have to. Thalia, please."

"Well you're not getting it." Thalia walked away as fast as she could, her eyes starting to rim red. Luke didn't stop her, and he won't stop chasing her later on.

_**-$-$-$-$-$-$-$-$-$-$;-$;$;$;$;$;$;;;-$$-$$-$$-$-$-$-$-**_

She had such a bad day that she almost completely forgot.

Thalia was simply walking through the corridor in the third floor, thinking about earlier's unfortunate events. It was around sunset around that time. Her mind suddenly drifted to the upcoming war tomorrow, then she remembered Percy's message to the princess. Oh gods.

Thalia immediately dropped her wooden bucket and cleaning rag and rushed up to Annabeth's room. She didn't even bother to knock on the silver doors and rushed inside. There, Annabeth was reading a book on her bed, unmoving until Thalia had burst through the door.

"Thalia?" Annabeth questioned, setting her book aside as she sensed important news.

Thalia close the door behind her back. "Okay," she said, panting. "Keep sitting for the next words I'my going to say, okay?" She told the princess everything her cousin told her to say. Surprisingly, she took the news, more or less, well.

"Percy... their going to war tomorrow?" Annabeth repeated in shock.

"Yeah."

"And he won't be able to visit?"

"Yes."

"And... and he said he loves me?"

Thalia grinned. "Pretty much, yeah. "

Annabeth stifled a laugh. "Seaweed Brain." She muttered to herself. She sighed heavily as her friend seated herself on the bed right next to her. "You know," the princess said thoughtfully, "I'm woried about him. What if he doesn't come back? What if they lose the war? I wouldn't stand it if he doesn't come back. " she glance over to the dark-haired girl. "Please tell him that I wish him good luck. And tell him that I love him too."

**Okay, so that's a small side chapter for you to ponder on and get excited about. A little Thaluke over there... Tell me if you want that to escalate. Or maybe make a separate story about that. **

**Anyway, I've got a sick twisted plot twist up next. So please keep on your toes! **

**Ciao! XD**

**~Apolll'sAwesomeNatureForeceWithstabdingDaughterOfLiteratetureGodlishnessXDsium**


	29. Chapter 29

**HELLO EVERYONE!**

**So yeas, I am well alive indeed. Although slowly being strangled by school... so anyway, the CHAPTER HAS BEEN RE-WRITTEN and so if you've read it already, you can proceed to the bottom and check out the extensions. Thanks! **

**READ ON!**

* * *

"You two ready?" Nico had a worried look on his face as he watched his two cousins slip the last of their armour on. Their expressions were grim in the dim light of the oil lamp. The sun was an hour away from rising, and all the soldiers in the kingdom were getting ready. For the first time ever, Nico saw the seriousness in his cousins' expressions. They weren't joking around and were silent for the whole time. The sound of clinging metal was heard as Jason and Percy put on their metal boots.

"Aunt Sally and Uncle Poseidon are up." Nico stated. " They fixed you breakfast."

Jason gave him a small smile. "Thanks." The two soldiers, along with their cousin, walked out the door of their shared bedroom.

Out in the main room, two plates, each with steaming eggs and bread placed upon them, were layed out on the table. The room was illuminated with only two oil lamps that flickered with orange fire. Poseidon and Sally both stood beside the table, Thalia was seated cross-legged on one of the stools.

Sally stepped forward and embraced her son in a hug. The lines under her eyes crinkled as she smiled. "Good luck, Percy." She said. "I love you sweety." Percy smiled at that. "I love you too, mom. " he said as his mother proceeded to hug Jason and left to her room.

Poseidon huged the two and followed his wife into the room without a word, though his eyes started to water.

As it was Thalia's turn to wish her cousins luck, a loud knock from the outside door was heard. Percy groaned. "Reyna already?" He muttered.

"I'll get it." Thalia said as she rushed to the creaking wooden door. Surprisingly, it wasn't Reyna who walked inside, but a hooded figure of a girl. She stepped inside and removed her cloak, revealing sparkling green eyes and long red hair.

"Rachel? The witch?" Nico exclaimed. The newcomer only smiled.

"I prefer the term seer." She said.

"Rachel, why are you here? I haven't heard from you since the thieving incident." Percy asked her as he seated himself on one of the wooden stools beside Jason. The 'thieving incident' Percy spoke about was this time when he was just passing by the hill to get some wool from Rachel's cave for his mom. She would sometimes lend him some of her woolen blankets for a low price. So, as he was climbing, he heard a racket from her small cave farther uphill. It turns out, a bunch of thugs were trying to steal a delicate golden seal from Rachel. Percy drove them away and wounded them so badly they'll never return. Since then, Rachel has felt in debt to him because that seal was an important family heritage, given to her by her great grandfather. She said a strong magic was placed on it, but she wouldn't tell him what kind.

Back at Percy's small house, Rachel had seated herself on one of the wooden stools.

"I have important news for you." She stated in a grim voice "You will reach the Battle Field before noon as it is a long trip. King Kronos is tricky, you will encounter a sneek attack somewhere along the way. General Ares will never believe me, so I tell you two. Beware of an ambush from the enemy. Kronos wouldn't _dare _attack the kingdm, but he will get out of his way to kill the army."

"Ha thith you know tha'?" Percy asked, his mouth full of bread and eggs. Rachel tried not to laugh. "I'm a seer of the future, remember?" She said. "Oh, also, Annabeth is waiting for you at some highly elevated place. I have a feeling you know where it is."

Percy suddenly stopped chewing his food, staring at her. He suddenly drained his cup of water and grabbed his sword.

"Gotta go Jase! I'll meet you at the arena!" He said before running out the door. This was his last chance to meet Annabeth before marching off to war.

Annabeth didn't really know what to expect. She waited. She hoped. She sat alone up in that tree. The ice cold wind blew through her clothes and would've knocked her out of the tree if she wasn't clinging to the branch. Her hair flowed behind her as she stared up into the horizon.

Soon, the sun's rays would peek up there, touching the darkness and sending it retreating from the sky, the exact time when the soldiers would march off to war. From here, she'd get a perfect view of the army as they exit the walls surrounding the kingdom.

Annabeth let out a shaky breath. She was waiting for Percy, but she didn't now why. It's not as if he knew she was here. Nevertheless, she spoke. "Seaweed Brain... where are you?" Her voice was soft, drowned out by the wind. She didn't expect to get an answer.

"Here." A familiar voice panted behind her.

Annabeth whirled around to face none other than Percy Jackson in full battle armour, tired and panting. But she felt so happy she grinned ear-to-ear and wrapped him in a hug. Percy hugged her back, no matter how tired he was from running all the way to the tree.

He looked the princess in the eye, a lip's distance away.

"How did you know I was here?" Annabeth asked, but her beautiful grey eyes were sparkling with relief.

"Well, a friend had a hunch." Percy grinned, right before leaning in and stealing another kiss from the girl he loved more than anything in the world.

"You'are starting to get used to those kisses, aren't you?" Annabeth laughed after they broke the kiss.

"That's not such a bad thing." Percy said in reply, making Annabeth laugh again. "I love it when you laugh." He blurted out randomly. Honestly, he had no idea what made him say that. Annabeth blushed lightly, but it was hard to tell in this time of day.

"But honestly though," Annabeth asked, turning serious. "You're going to war in about thirty minutes. How are you not nervous?"

"Oh, I'm nervous." Percy replied. "But I don't show it. I mean seriously, might end up dead."

"Do NOT say that!" The princess shreiked. "You are coming back to me _alive, _you hear me?"

Percy only smiled. A soft, wistful smile that made Annabeth feel all the more nervous. "Even when I'm not here... please remember to keep your promise."

"Percy, don't-"

"Annabeth. Please."

Her expression softened as a single tear slid down her cheek. "Okay." She said. "I'll smile as best I can. But you're coming back to me, no excuses."

Percy smiled at her and stole one more kiss before reluctantly leaving off to the arena.

* * *

King Frederick was there, watching from the stands. Seeing hundreds of soldiers lined up in battle formation consisting his army. General Ares, with his daughter by his side and commander on the other, were all mounted on horses in front of the army. The finest steeds of the kingdom. The two front rows had the honor of being the Calvary, all mounted on horses. The third and fourth rows of soldiers were armed with bows, the archers. And the remaining rows consisted of the soldiers who will fight on foot, weilding their swords, sheilds, and spears. Jason and Percy were part of the Calvary. Percy's steed was a great mare with a flawless black coat, not a single spot. It's name was Blackjack. Jason's was a beautiful greyish-white stallion named Arion. Both of their horses were swift and strong and were some of the finest in the land.

The sun's first rays had peaked over the horizon, tinging the sky with an orange-grey light. They had their helmets pulled over their eyes and swords by their side. A war horn had sounded and off they went, marching as one to the Battle Field.

It was a long trip across the plains. There were barren and desert-like places. Some were lush and green with grass. One path, close by, was a valley between tall and green grass on either side. A tree or two was to be seen dotting in and out of view from time to time, but deserted all the same.

Percy and Jason kept their eyes open for any ambushes. They decided against telling Ares, Reyna or Clarisse. They wouldn't even listen to a word they say. Unless the ambush was happening at the very instant, their voices were useless.

It seemed late morning when they came upon a barren stretch of land, the grass was golden in the sun and there wasn't a single tree in sight. Not a single could in the sky as the sun shined bright. There were two or three vultures spotted up ahead, encircling the Field, waiting for spoils of war to feast upon.

As Percy watched, he felt like the vultures were staring down at him, waiting for his corpse to be their lunch. "Not gonna happen," he growled silently. "I'm coming back."

As if on cue, an ear-peircing war-horn sounded in the distance in front of them. Clinking boots against the ground shook the earth where they stood. From the horizon emerged the army of Tartarus. Black and red polished armour decorated the soldiers' body. Leading them, mounted on a lean, grey horse, was a tall man fitted in golden armour, he had dark raven-colored hair and eyes gleaming murderously at his enemy. From this distance, one would think his eyes were of solid gold.

"Kronos." Ares growled under his breath, glaring daggers at the enemy. Then, he turned to his army. "Fight bravely, soldiers of Olympia. This might be your first or last battle, but either way, you won't come out of this without a wound. Make it worthwhile. If you fall, you fall with honor. If you conquer, you return a hero! No retreat, no surrender!"

The army echoed his call and their war horn sounded, off to Percy's right. The sun gleamed, flashing across their iron armour. Almost noon.

"Time for bloodshed." Jason grinned beside him. Percy grinned as well. Maybe they were crazy, smiling at the time where they are probably about to die, but they felt like it was their turn to be heroes. Their turn to make history. Their turn to be a legacy.

The two enemy war horns sounded at the same time, and with a great cry, the two armies surged forward and clashed in the very middle of the Field.

* * *

"NO!"

A loud cry echoed through the small cave filled will paintings and woolen sheets. A single weaving loom stood in a corner next to a shelf filled with pots and jars, and opposite of that was a rather comfortable bed, where a red headed girl lay, startled from her sleep.

"No." Rachel whispered, trying to convince herself that her dream wasn't real. But she knew better. "I-It's too late now. Ugh." She scolded herself repeatedly, unsure of what to do. She abruptly swung her legs over the side of her little bed and made her way across the room. She took a brown, clay pot from the top shelf and a few jars with nasty-looking things in them and set them upon a small table on the opposite side of the room.

She felt sweat trickling down the side of her face as she prepared the medicine., green eyes flashing with determination. "I hope this will work."

* * *

Arrows and javelins sailed through the air as swords and spears clanged against metal armour and sheilds. Already the field was covered in blood, bodies lay here and there. Some wore black, some iron. The living ones were still glad they hadn't joined their comrades on the ground.

Most of the calvary had lost their steeds due to arrows, including Percy and Jason, but they still continued fighting bravely.

Percy had a nasty gash on his forehead, the blood dripping down his right cheek, yet he kept fighting. Jason's left wrist was almost useless when an enemy struck it forcefully, luckily he was right handed.

In the midst of the battle, Percy was in the process of killing an enemy soldier, at least half a foot taller than him. He blocked every swing of the enemy's sword, but it was getting difficult for him. His vision started to blur as he felt the blood and sweat drip down the side of his face. His armour was getting hot and heavy and the constant screams of falling comrades echoing in his ears weren't helping at all.

He found a small crack in the enemey's armour in the middle of the neck any shoulder. He swung their intetwined swords sideward and brought down his sword on the crack, immediately earning a scream and blood on his sword. He pulled it back as his enemy collapsed, examining it warily. Blood of many fallen warriors coated the bronze blade red, masking the tinge of green.

He looked up, only to find a couple of soldiers scramble away from him. Was he that scary?

He peered across the field to find some enemy soldiers retreating, trickling away from the battle and rushing up over the hill. He didn't have enough time to think about it when an arrow came whizzing right next to his ear. He put his head back in the game, cutting down enemies as best he could. He would occasionally hear familiar and agonizing screams from somewhere across the field. It sent a chill down his spine everytime, but he had to keep going. For their sake, for Annabeth...

The shrill tone of his kingdom's war-horn sounded, signaling the final attack. Percy immediately surged toward it, cutting down enemies along his way. Soon he found himself surrounded by soldiers in iron and chainmail- his comrades. He noticed Reyna standing beside him, bloody, beaten, without her horse, yet still grim and determined. She gripped her sword by the hilt tightly, it glimmered red and gold in the sunlight.

"Ready, Jackson?" she panted, nudging his shoulder.

He grinned, despite his aching body and blurring vision. "Hell yeah I am." he laughed. The war horn sounded once again and with a great cry, the army surged forward, bearing their weapons.

* * *

**So that is the chapter. More to come in a week probably. Also, I'm handling this other story over at Inkkit. (It's called The Shadow Guardian by SunChildXD- that's me! ^-^) If you're interested, go check it out!**

**Also, there's this new series by Rick, "The Trials of Apollo". IT IS SO AWESOME I WANNA READ IT. **

**Check it out online! Bye! :)**


	30. Chapter 30

**Okay hello there everyone! Now, since you all felt very very very very cliffhung (is that even a word?), here is the new chapter! (YAYYYY!)**

**But seriously. You will hate me. More.**

**~Apollo'sAwesomeDaughter**

_**Chapter 30**_

* * *

"Ready, Jackson?" Reyna panted, nudging his shoulder with her own.

He grinned, despite his aching body and blurring vision. "Hell yeah I am." he laughed. The war horn sounded once again and with a great cry, the army surged forward, bearing their weapons.

A few warriors in dark armor came to intercept them (and ended up dying), but most retreated back over the hill. The army gave a great cry, celebrating their victory. Kronos and his army retreated without putting up much of a fight. They threw their helmets in the air and clapped each other on the back.

" Victory!" Ares bellowed atop his horse. "We have one! For the kingdom!" he yelled, raising his bloody sword.

"The kingdom!" their army echoed.

* * *

They trudged along the dirt path they had come from, the sun beginning its decent from the sky. Soon it would get dark.

Their pace was slower compared to this morning's journey. There were just so many wounded people and more need for replenishing and rest. They had passed the desert and the plains and were now in the grass-valley.

The grass was dark and tall, as still as trees. The path they trudged on was narrow and uneven, filled with mud holes and rocks, so Percy would stumble every so often.

He just couldn't wait to get back to Annabeth, to let her see that he was alive.

He was lost in his thoughts when he stumbled on another rock and fell sidewards into the grass. He could hear his comrades snickering behind him. He glanced up and caught a glimpse of irregular movement in the tall glades. Something shined in the grassy distance but was immediately concealed. He didn't have much time to think when he was roughly pulled up by Clarisse.

"You hit your head too hard, Jackson?" The general's daughter snickered, followed by the rest of the soldiers behind her. She had taken a small liking to him, having been the most persistent soldier to follow her command. But Percy felt like something was wrong. He felt like someone was watching them… waiting.

He was staring off into the grass. All was still until… movement.

"Stop!" Percy halted in front of the line of soldiers. He spotted another rustle of grass on the other side, a gleam of light. A reflection…

_An ambush, _Rachel's voice echoed in his mind.

Clarisse caught his train of sight, so did Ares and Reyna. Another brush of movement far closer that the last one. A scuttle of dirt of to their left…

All they had was a second to pull out their swords before it happened- an entire fleet of soldiers in black flooded through the tall grass on either side. They should have been suspicious, they should've anticipated attack.

They've let their guard down, and now they were being killed off for it.

The wounded ones were slaughtered, and the relatively healthy ones were wounded. Badly.

* * *

Alarm bells.

That was what she was hearing.

Realization struck her like a tidal wave. Something bad was happening. She needed to know what.

Slipping on her boots, Annabeth flung open her bedroom door and flew down the stairs. She arrived at the throne room just in time.

She rushed to her father's side to ask about the bells, but a messenger from the watchtowers came running in through the doors. He was scrawny and looked like he was about to collapse, but he didn't.

"Well?" The king demanded, his family standing impatiently behind him.

"The grass path…" The messenger panted, holding himself up on his knees. He swallowed heavily before continuing. "My lords and ladies, I bring news from the outer watchtowers. " He said. "The army has returned from the battle. But in the grass path, not far from the outer borders, just past the plains, they seem to be fighting another one. It looks as if they have been ambushed!"

"_Ambushed?"_ Annabeth was the first to react. "By Tartarus's army?"

The messenger nodded weakly. "We've sent the some of the reinforcements to help, but it might have seemed a bit too late."

"Kronos," King Frederick spat out the name as if it was poison in his mouth. "That tyrant failed to honor the ancient laws of battle." He growled to himself, then looked back up at the messenger. "Round up the physicians and the last remaining reinforcements. Send them to meet the wounded soldiers at the outer gate. We must preserve our army. Go!"

The messenger scrambled back out the doors and off to the barracks to enforce the king's command.

"Father, I have to go! I want to help!" The princess demanded, shaking her father's arm. He looked at her sternly.

"No." He said."It's too dangerous, Annabeth. I know you want to see your friends, but the enemy-"

"I don't care!" She screamed. "Please, I can handle myself."

His expression softened. He was proud of his daughter, but he knew it would be too dangerous. For all he knew she could scramble into the fight and get herself killed. He promised Athena to keep her safe. He had always let his daughter roam free and do as she pleased, but something unsettled him this time. He felt that this battle shouldn't involve her, even if she just stood at the gates. No, he needed to keep her from breaking out.

"Xaivier!" he called to one of the guards standing by the great doors. "Lock down all the doors in the palace, don't let Annabeth escape." He fled the room, Annabeth at his heels.

She finally gave up when he slammed the door on her face.

"Well that was _harsh._" She muttered. She banged her fist on his door for good measure and then ran to her room.

She found Thalia standing in the hallway, and pulled her by the arm, dragging her friend into her bedroom.

"Ow! OW! _OW! _WATCH IT!" Thalia screeched.

Annabeth decided to cut to the chase. "Okay, so the army is being ambushed in the grass valley." Cue surprised face from Thalia. "And my dad put me on lockdown so now we have to get out."

"Normally I would try to talk some sense into you." Thalia said. "But yeah, c'mon."

Annabeth was already hauling up the rope over her balcony when Thalia joined her, slipping on the extra leather gloves she found by the bed.

* * *

Percy _really _wasn't in the mood for cutting down enemies the second time that day. His sword swung back and forth, trying to kill as much black-armored soldiers as possible. Several times he spotted Kronos, their king, hacking at Percy's fellow soldiers, dotting in and out of the battle, laughing hysterically.

That guy was a madman.

It wasn't until that blood curling scream had he felt such a chill down his spine.

Ares, their general, the most respected leader in their kingdom, had been struck from behind by Kronos's golden blade. He fell, Kronos laughing like a phsycopath. He enjoyed death, he breathed the scent of blood, he lived off the sound of screams of the fallen. Everyone knew that now. The king had made his mark on their land. His goal now was to implant fear into the eyes of the innocent.

But Percy couldn't let that happen.

He charged. Kronos was surprised to see such an upstart nobody attack him so suddenly, but he was late in intercepting the soldier's blade. He staggered backwards.

Ares was able to wound him- just a little on his waist, between his armor. But it was enough to draw blood and weaken him. Yet he smiled.

"You are brave, child." His voice was rough and venomous. "Yet foolish all the same."

The ringing of their swords echoed across the grassy valley, neither of them willing to give up.

Percy was almost skewered several times. But Clarisse came charging in like a bull, her eyes flaring. That gave him strength.

"You killed my father!" Clarisse screamed, bearing her teeth at Kronos. The king now struggled to handle two soldiers battling him whilst having a wounded side.

Percy decided to follow Clarisse's tactic- hack away.

"A stab in the back?!" She continued. " Dishonor! Disgrace! Disrespect! Foolishness! How dare you?!" Strike after strike she gave, not ever holding back.

But she threw her arm back too far, giving the phsycopathic king the chance to kick her in the stomach with immense force. She flew backwards, but managed to throw her sword at him as a distraction.

It hit him square in the face, but didn't exactly slice through him. She was disappointed, but it did what it had to do.

The king tried to defend himself, but it was too late. Percy drove his sword deep into the his already wounded side. Kronos fell, but his arm, along with his sword, was already raised ready to strike. He brought it down, nonetheless, ready to take one last soul.

It hit it's mark.

.

.

.

.

.

.

.

.

.

.

.

.

.

.

Sort of.

**See? I told you so.**


	31. Chapter 31

**Hey guys! Sorry for um… That. You know, **_**that. **_**The last chapter. The ending, specifically. So Imma go ahead and try to lessen your pain… and then watch Star Wars later on. (My uncles's a fanboy. He forced me to join his fandoms. Oh, wait… **_**forced. **_**I think I just made a pun. XD Get it? **_**Force? Star Wars? **_**Ok, imma stop now…)**

* * *

_**Chapter 32**_

Annabeth squeezed her way through the front line of the massive crowd, being led by Thalia. Many townsfolk had gathered by the outer gates as they heard the dreaded ringing of the bells. But they let the physicians and reinforcement soldiers stand up front to do their jobs.

Thalia pushed a stout old lady out of her way and tugged Annabeth forward. They stumbled, nearly face-planting on the floor. After a few short breaths, they both looked up, gaping in horror at the scene before them-

Bloodied bodies partly clad in iron were being laid down on the ground by their much healthier comrades, physicians rushing to aid them. Even a few townsfolk dribbled from the massive crowd to greet their heroic loved ones, either by thanks or by tears. Some soldiers were still dragging wounded friends across the plains, hoping beyond hope that they were still alive, that they would make it. Some even crying out in vain.

Annabeth's eyes scanned the chaos before her, trying her best to ignore the pained screams of the people among it. But all the blood and tears she saw made her feel immensely uncomfortable. Her stomach twisted into a knot and she didn't know whether to throw up or break into tears. She felt like doing both.

She was about to look away when she heard Thalia inhale sharply beside her, gripping the princess's hand so tightly it hurt.

Annabeth looked up, following her friend's gaze. And she saw it- two soldiers hauling another in between them. They three could go no further and collapsed just at the edge of all the chaos. One took off his helmet to reveal messy damp blond hair and a pair of sky blue eyes filled with panic. Even from a distance Annabeth recognized Thalia's brother- Jason Grace, staring in horror at the bloodied soldier beneath him.

From where she stood, Annabeth could only see a mop of messy raven-black hair. But she knew in her hear that it was without doubt none other than Perseus Jackson.

Her stomach dropped, her heart crawled up her throat. _Oh gods, no, This can't be happening…_

She bolted forward, Thalia stumbling behind her, trying to catch up. She weaved through the crowd of soldiers and townsfolk, keeping her eyes locked on the trio. As Annabeth ran, she saw the third one take off his- er, _her _helmet. It was Clarisse LaRue, the general's daughter. Her shoulder-length brown hair was tied back in a red bandana, her leather gauntlets were covered in blood. _Percy's blood._

Annabeth finally reached them. She dropped down to her knees, not even bothering to stop. "Oh gods…." She chocked, tears starting to form in her eyes. Her hands flew to her mouth as she let them drip down her cheeks one by one.

His messy black hair was disheveled, as usual. He had a bruise by the side of his head and blood leaked out the corner of his mouth. His eyes were closed, dark rings evident around them. His chest barely moved, lifting up and down weakly. There was blood running down from his sternum, just below the heart. Whatever struck him, it missed, barely by an inch. But it wounded him- deeply.

Annabeth took his head in her lap, not caring about the blood on her clothes. She felt the warm, sticky liquid oozing out of the back of his head as well. The panic rose in her chest as she tried not to scream. Jason and Thalia were struggling to stop the blood flow from his sternum, and Clarisse was yelling for a doctor and a cot or a stretcher.

That's when Annabeth realized he was mumbling. Soft, uncomprehendable whispers. But she was able to catch one word that he repeated over and over above the rest of his slurred words: _"Annabeth…"_

She felt a sharp pang in her chest. Even now Percy thought of her…?

"Annabeth…? Anna… ugh…Annabeth…" he mumbled.

"He's been that way ever since he got stabbed." Jason said. His voice was calm, despite the obvious fear in his eyes. Kronos stabbed him and managed to push him back as well. His head hit a rock. I… I couldn't get to him in time."

"I'm going to kill him." Annabeth growled. "I'm going to kill that... that little son of a-"

"Can't," Jason cut her off before she could say anything else. "He beat you to it. Kronos is dead. Percy killed him."

She blinked, her frustration and worry dying for just a moment. "Really?" she asked. Not because she didn't believe him, but because she was thoroughly impressed.

"Yeah." Jason said, managing a small grin. "It was cool, apart from, you know, this…"

Percy suddenly let out a fit of coughs, sputtering more blood out of his mouth. Annabeth held his shoulders, trying to keep him steady.

"Hold on ,Seaweed Brain." She muttered. "Hold on, for me. Please…"

"Annabeth…" he groaned out before the coughing stopped. His pulse was fading, his breathing was starting to cease.

"No!" Annabeth cried, her tears increasing. "No, no, no, no, NO! Percy!"

Her vision blurred from her tears, but she didn't dare let him go. She didn't dare take her eyes off him.

She could just make out a man kneel down by her side, carefully wrapping some cloth around Percy's wound. He was carried off in a cot made of bamboo sticks and a sheet of cloth, and Annabeth followed, her hand never leaving his.

* * *

Darkness… It surrounded him. It was everything he could see.

It didn't suffocate him, nor did it make him feel cold. In fact, physically, he felt nothing. It was as if he'd lost his sense of touch. But inside, he felt… empty. He felt like he was supposed to remember something he couldn't recall.

A surge of panic washed over him. He remembered _nothing. _He couldn't remember anything about his life. No memories came back, nothing. He couldn't even remember his name, who he was…

Who _was _he…?

He was panicking. He wanted to cry out, but his throat wouldn't cooperate. He tried to move, grab out for something, but limbs failed him.

_Please, please, please…_he thought. _Just let me feel something… anything!_

Just then, he heard a voice. It was a woman's voice. A voice so familiar and comforting, he barely noticed the pain and worry in it.

"Hold on for me. Please…" A sob. He could just imagine the tears rolling down her cheeks, her stormy grey eyes shining brightly from them. Her golden hair in a mess around her face, but he still thought she looked beautiful.

He realized that he could actually _see _her. _Annabeth… that's her name…_

In an instant, a sudden wave of pain wove through him. His feet were sore, his knees felt broken, he felt like there was wad of lava digging into his chest, his throat felt like it was closing up as if there was a burning rope tied around it, and his head…. His head throbbed so _much. _He was starting to regret his earlier wish.

There was a sudden jolt in his chest, like the ball of lava was trying to expand inside and incinerate him.

He cried out in pain. His voice was hoarse and he felt a warm, sticky liquid dribble down the side of his mouth.

Screams and sobs filled his ears, voices filtering through the ringing in them.

"Percy!" one of them called out.

_Percy… _Was that his name? He thought so, but then another surge of pain caused him to cry out again.

He tried opening his eyes again. His vision was blurred from all the pain. He could make out several figures hovering over him. The background, the sky was moving… no wait, _they _were moving.

What was his name again …? Per-

Another wave of pain, this time from the back of his neck.

Through his blurred vision, he could make out golden curls… a halo around sparkling grey. For those three seconds, just those _three _short seconds, his vision cleared. Suddenly he could see everything in high definition. Annabeth, the girl he loved, was weeping right next to him. He could make out a blond boy with blue eyes… Jason. Next to him was a girl with dark hair… Thalia, his sister. Opposite of her was Clarisse in her red bandana. And then there was the doctor from the barracks… Chiron.

And then there was him. Perseus Jackson. He remembered. He remembered everything now.

And then he plunged back into the darkness.

* * *

**Review! Tell me what you want to see next! :D**


	32. Chapter 32

**SO… you guys probably want me dead now, huh? No worries. It's Christmas so you can go ahead and try to figure out where I live. XD (Cheskie, don't even try.)**

* * *

_**Chapter 32**_

"_Hold on for me, please…"_

The voice echoed in his mind. He was back in the dark, but it was far worse than before.

He couldn't see anything, but he could feel and hear everything. The pain coursed through his entire body, no exceptions. He felt hands on him, trying to bandage his wounds and cuts. He felt like his head was stuck under a boulder, slowly being flattened to a pancake along with his chest.

There was also screaming, voices yelling back and forth to one another. He recognized these voices. They were calling his name, blaming themselves for his injuries, begging for him to wake up.

If only he could.

Another sudden burst of pain caused him to cry out once more. It was getting worse. Without doubt, Kronos's sword had been coated in poison, and it was getting into Percy's system. He was surprised he was still alive. People had always told him he could handle a lot. But this burst of pain was even more intense than the last ones.

He felt more blood run down his skin. He felt weak. He was hanging on by two fingers and he wanted oh so badly to let go.

The people surrounding him took off the remnants of his armor, tossing them to the side. They pressed the wounds, trying desperately to stop the blood. He almost couldn't take their screaming and bickering.

"We need to stop the blood!"

"No! Quit it! You're hurting him!"

"We need to seal up these wounds!"

"Just let him bleed it out!"

"He'll die of blood loss, you idiot!"

"Well what do we do then?!"

Percy wanted to scream at them to just shut up and let him die, but he was in too much pain to form any words.

"He's losing his pulse!"

"There's too much blood!"

"He can't breathe! Stop that!"

There was a sudden silence, everything ceased. The hands stopped working, there wasn't a single sound save for Percy's raspy breaths. He was almost relieved, if it weren't for the fact that he was dying.

"This should help him. It's medicine." The voice was familiar, but he couldn't pinpoint exactly who it was.

"Why should we trust you, witch? What are you to him?" someone to his right questioned.

_Witch._ Rachel. The voice came from Rachel. She made spells, potions. Percy vaguely remembered a time when she healed a wounded lamb's broken leg using some herbs she picked up from the woods. They weren't _that _close, but at this point, Percy was so sick of the pain he trusted her enough to heal him, or to end his misery. Whichever would do.

"T… t-trust… h-her…!" He said with extreme difficulty.

Everyone was shocked for a moment, and then they all sprang into action. They let Rachel pass and let her do her work.

He felt her lay her hand over his forehead. And as she drew it back, he opened his eyes just a crack to see a blurry silhouette of a red-headed girl wielding two pads of green in her hands. Percy couldn't be sure, but they seemed like leaves of some sort. She pressed them to his wound and gradually, he felt a cool sensation spread through him. The pain started to fade slowly, but not entirely. The burning ceased and he finally got air into his lungs.

He took a few deep breaths and mustered a small "thanks", but he doubted anyone had heard him. He felt so exhausted. He closed his eyes again and let himself fall into the supposedly comforting embrace of sleep….. had it not been for the nightmares.

* * *

"Thank you," The princess mustered a small smile to the red-headed girl. "For saving his life."

She shook her head, her apple green eyes sparkling. "I owe him." She said. "He saved my life. What I've done… well, this isn't enough. He's still in danger. I've stopped the bleeding for now and he can somewhat relax. But the poison is still there, I've just slowed it down."

"_Poison?" _Annabeth exclaimed, running a frustrated hand through her disheveled hair. "What do you mean _poison?_"

"The sword was coated with some sort of venom." Jason said grimly. "Luckily, it's the type of poison that eats away flesh. "

"What's _lucky _about that?!" Annabeth demanded, outraged.

"Well," he said, carefully avoiding the princess's equally venomous gaze. "It's long term exposure to air has thickened it, slowing down its progress at burning through Percy from the inside."

"How do you know all that?" Thalia asked, rather intrigued.

"Close examination of the sword." Clarisse answered nonchalantly. "Also Pollux has knowledge about these kinds of things. His father grows herbs."

Then the princess turned to Rachel. "How did _you _know about the poison?" she demanded, feeling rather irritable all of a sudden.

Rachel shrugged, wrapping her brown cloak around her shoulders. "I'm a witch, aren't I?" when everybody stared at her unconvinced, she sighed, relented. "Dreams." She said, as if that explained everything.

They continued to stare at her expectantly as Chiron the doctor started to bandage up Percy's wounds. He took the leaves from Rachel and tucked them into the cloth, pressing them into the wounds.

"Dreams, huh?" Chiron muttered as worked on Percy. Everyone turned to him, but his gaze never left where his hands were working. "I may be a man of medicine, but they say that dreams do bring rather… prophetic scenery." He said. "Though dreams don't show the entire event and may be misleading, I would advise you listen to what this girl has to say. You say she is a witch? Then she might have a rather stronger pull with dreams compared to most people. Compared to _you _and me."

Rachel nodded in thanks to the physician, pulling her hood downward so that it cast a shadow upon her face.

"I know a way to save him from the poison." She stated, her voice ringing loud and clear across the small tent they were in. The sounds of chaos from outside seemed to have died down as she spoke. "It's risky and requires sacrifice, but unless you all know another way, it is the only cure. I have consulted my mentor. And Nico Di Angelo, I have spoken with him as well. He-"

"_Nico_?" Annabeth snorted, clearly too stressed out to do anything but contrast to everything anyone says. "What does _he _concern to your '_cure_'?"

"Everything." Rachel stated plainly, but her eyes seemed to analize the princess up and down. "He knows a good deal in balance and herbs as not many may know. I found him by the meadow once, digging for roots as I was. I know a good deal of healing, but this cure I have… I was afraid that it was incomplete and really did require…" she hesitated, and then she continued. "Let's just say that Nico's knowledge did confirm my fears, as well as my mentor's. And there is no choice but…" she hesitated once again and stared intently at the princess. Her gaze made Annabeth uncomfortable and her irritable and bratty attitude died down.

"Forgive me, Princess." Rachel said all of a sudden. "But might we be able to talk in private? You will have to leave Percy here for a minute…."

* * *

The two strode across the palace courtyard until they reached the pond.

It was high noon when they came out of the tent, dizzy, disoriented, and partly covered in blood. These and Argus didn't say a word when the two passed by the gate.

Rachel and Annabeth didn't say anything to each other as they walked through the courtyard. The grass rustled beneath their feet and the sun, high in the sky, scorched their backs.

"No doubt," Rachel muttered to herself, pulling her hood further down over her eyes. "Apollo would be so happy if he were here. Finally getting to finish his potion..."

"Apollo?" Annabeth questioned, curious as always.

"My mentor." Rachel replied nonchalantly. "Good in medicine and spells. Tends to predict the future with dreams. Always out at the pubs… flirting." She added rather grumpily.

Annabeth raised an eyebrow. "He's your…you know… partner?"

Rachel's cheeks turned as scarlet as her hair. "NO!" she shrieked. "That's- that's _gross! _He kind of adopted me a few years back when my parents abandoned me, and I treat him kind of like an uncle. Teaches you stuff, looks out for you, but doesn't take full responsibility. So _dating? DISGUSTING! _Ughh!_" she gagged._

To both girls' surprise, Annabeth laughed. "I never knew you could be so… feminine." She let out a small chuckle. "That sounded like something Drew Tanaka would say."

Rachel snorted. "That handmaiden? I swear, she treats herself more important than her mistresses."

The two laughed as they reached the wide pond close to the palace hedges. The water was rather clean. There were koi fishes swimming in it, going in and out of the lily pads and from under the mossy stone bridge that went across the length of the pond.

They trodded up that bridge, stopping in the middle. Their laughter died down and the mood turned solemn.

"So," Rachel began. "The cure…"

Annabeth's stormy grey eyes lifted up, her hands resting on the railing of the bridge. "What about it?" she asked.

There was an unsettling silence that lasted for several seconds, until Rachel broke it by clearing her throat, as if preparing for a speech.

"The cure," she repeated. "It's a potion of some sort. I have it, more or less ready. But it needs a sacrifice to work completely." She looked back up at Annabeth who was staring intently. "Percy is dying. He's already half dead as far as I'm concerned. The poison, I've had a look at the golden blade of Kronos, the poison is not only eating away his body, but his life force as well. He's slowly sinking into the land of the dead. The only way to pull him out of there is to give him the potion that brings the dead back to life. And to do that, we need to sacrifice the life force of another."

Annabeth processed her words, and then everything clicked into place. "So," she said slowly. "For Percy to live… someone has to die?"

Rachel nodded grimly.


	33. Chapter 33

**HEYYO GUYS!**

**First and foremost, I would just like to apologize for another long wait. Sorry if I kept some of you loyal readers out there waiting. I constantly read your reviews, just to let you know. I felt a little uninspired the past month or so (partially math's fault), but reading your reviews kinda gave me hope. So thanks guys! I swear upon the Styx I shall update again soon. ****J****Not exceeding next week.**

* * *

**_Chapter 33_**

"So," she said slowly. "For Percy to live… someone has to die?"

Rachel nodded grimly. "I would've sacrificed my own life force, but Apollo wouldn't allow it."

"Neither would I." The princess stated, determination flashing in her eyes. "Because if anyone is sacrificing their life for Percy, it's me."

The redheaded girl's eyes stared at her from under her hood. She seemed to contemplate her words. Finally, after a long while, she spoke.

"I came to you knowing that you'd know what to do." Rachel said. "I know that you are more capable than others to handle this."

"What do you mean?" Annabeth asked.

"You see, as I've told you, we need to take someone's life force in order to restore Percy's. I never said we'd have to kill someone else." She paused, drawing in a deep breath. "And you, Princess, your life force is stronger than most people. You are destined to live. There's a chance that you may survive healing Percy. Yes, you'll be extremely weak for the following days, but if you live you might just recover in time."

Annabeth frowned. "I don't like all these 'ifs'." She said. "But I'll do it. I'll sacrifice my life force. But don't… don't tell anybody. I don't want my parents to worry. At least not until I'm dead…"

Rachel stayed quiet for a long time, but Annabeth was patient. She waited silently for what the redheaded girl would say.

"I would've done it." She finally said. "But the laws… my stupid vow. Nico… he would've done it. But his life force is too fragile that it wouldn't be enough." She looked up at the princess. "You might have a better chance, but it's still a huge risk."

Annabeth only smiled. "Sometimes in life, you have to gamble to get the prize."

* * *

He didn't know how long he'd been in the dark. His consciousness faded in and out at times, so he caught only glimpses of what was happening around him. He knew he was in a tent with patched-up velvet walls, lying in a cot bed. But other than that, he didn't know exactly where he was.

First he glanced Chiron the doctor speaking as he stood above him. He seemed to be talking to a woman… his mother? Probably. And she seemed as if she was crying. Her wavy brown hair was tied up messily and her face was in her hands. From what Percy could tell, she was shaking. And then everything went dark.

Next he found someone sitting on a wooden chair at his bedside. From what Percy could tell with his blurry vision, this person seemed to be wearing all black and had roughly the same dark, shaggy hair he had.

"Wake up Perce," the boy said. Instantly, Percy recognized the voice of his cousin- Nico DiAngelo. "Don't let them do it…" before he could hear anything else, the darkness overtook his vision once more.

The third time he opened his eyes, he found a hooded figure standing over him, a glint of apple green watching him intently. Strands of red peaked out from the person's hood. Rachel Elizabeth Dare, most likely. He shifted his gaze to the right and found someone at the chair- but this time it wasn't Nico.

Familiar blond hair and beautiful grey eyes… Annabeth. Annabeth Chase. She was the only thing that made sense to him. He wanted to speak to her, oh so badly. But his voice wouldn't work, he could barely blink.

Then he noticed that they were speaking.

"-ow the risks," the princess was saying. She didn't seem to notice that Percy was, more or less, awake now. Her challenging gaze was fixed on Rachel who was still watching Percy carefully.

"I know you do," Rachel said, her eyes unmoving. Her voice was grim and quiet. "I just… I know you will take the chance, but would Percy let you?"

"I don't care whether or not he lets me." Annabeth said, determination evident in every word. "I'm doing this because I want to."

He could make out what they were saying, but their voices sounded slightly muffled. In fact, everything seemed to be dimmed. His vision was blurry, he couldn't feel his body, he couldn't catch a scent of anything. He felt invisible, except for Rachel's gaze on him.

"But not now, Annabeth." Rachel spoke again. "I need Nico to help out… and right here, right now? No, it can't be. I have to prepare. I need to have everything ready."

"Tomorrow, then?" Annabeth implied impatiently.

Rachel only shook her head, her hood falling back just a fraction. "_You _need to be ready too. It will take a great toll on you."

"I _am _ready, just-"

"No you're not." Rachel said firmly, her eyes flicking towards the princess. But Annabeth didn't waver. "Give yourself at least three days."

"Percy is _dying." _She stood abruptly from her seat, eyes flashing dangerously. "I will do what should be done to save him. It has to be _tomorrow."_

Percy wanted to stop them. _A great toll on Annabeth_? He can't let her take any risks. He didn't want his loved ones to go through any trouble for him. He forced his lips open and tried to say something, preferably _shut up_, but in that instant, his senses sharpened all at once.

His vision grew more focused, he could hear the screams of pain from outside, he could sniff out the faint scent of blood, he could taste it in his mouth.

Then pain shot up his body. His back went rigid and he cried out in pain, clutching his sternum. He felt warm liquid ooze through his fingers- blood. His wound, Kronos's sword, it all came back to him. Every detail of the battle made him want to scream again.

People flew in through the flap of the tent, hands immediately trying to restrain him. Bandages, medicine, meaningless words of encouragement- all flowing over him as the pain grew worse.

His throat closed up and all of a sudden he couldn't breathe.

He thought he was going to die right then and there, end of story. The world's stupidest hero dying right in front of all his friends. But then he felt a strange cool sensation spread across his chest- the same sensation he had felt when Rachel healed him, except now it was fainter. The pain was still there, but it was lessened.

He fell back onto his cot, the darkness starting to creep at the edges of his vision as things calmed down. The last thing he saw was Rachel leaving the tent. She turned, glaring at Annabeth. "Two days." She said. Then her expression softened as she walked away, leaving everyone exhausted and dumbfounded at the same time.


	34. Chapter 34

**Hallo everybody. Today, we will be filling gap you wanted filled since chapter thirty something. Percabeth. Healing. Prrobably death. Blood. Life. Amen.**

* * *

_**Chapter 34**_

_Two days…_

Those two days end tonight.

_You're not ready…_

She's readied herself enough.

_A great toll on you…_

She's prepared to sacrifice it all. As long as she gets to save him. As long as he's alive. He'd done so much for her, now she returns the favor.

Annabeth folds up the letter she'd written for her friends and family and places it on top of her mattress. She looked around her room, silently saying goodbye to her only solitude within the palace. Her bare feet skim across the silver carpeted floor as she made her way to her shoes.

She was wearing a plain white long sleeved shirt, regular trousers, her red belt and had her hair tied up in a way that it still spread around her shoulders, but more controlled than it usually was. She felt grim and determined despite what would happen tonight.

After slipping on her leather boots, she made her way to her desk and sat down without making a sound. She knew what she needed to do. She knew the costs. Her hands rested nervously on the dark oak only a few inches away from the readily-spread sheets of parchment. Exactly like the parchment Percy used to send that letter all those years ago…

She choked back a sob and grabbed one. Her other hand reluctantly went for the feather quill. She took it, her hand shaking as it hovered over the parchment. She had to do this. She couldn't just leave him without a word.

She sighed dejectedly and brought down the quill, her only light being the small orange flame of the oil lamp on her desk. She tried to write as legibly and simply as she could. She knew Percy had a hard time reading, and she understood how difficult it was for him even though she made fun of him for that at times. She wanted him to read this for himself.

_**Dear Percy… **_she began to write. But then she shook her head. It was too formal. She thought of what would work best for about five whole minutes. Finally, she just decided to write as though she were talking to him directly. She decided to write casually and without worry. After all, this was Percy.

She crumpled up the parchment and flung it down the side of her desk. She took another sheet of parchment and dabbed the tip of her quill in ink.

_**Hey Seaweed Brain, **_

_**By the time you'll find this letter, I'll probably be gone…**_

She tried not to cry as she wrote, her hands shaking every now and then. Once she finished signing it, she folded it up neatly and started to rummage around her drawer. Finally, she pulled out a silky blue ribbon and tied it around the letter to keep it nice and sealed. On the outside, she wrote

_**Percy **_

and signed her name in a smaller font on the bottom. She took a deep breath and stood up from her desk, making her way to where she'd decided to place the letter.

* * *

Rachel waited nervously outside the palace. She put Argus and These to sleep with some poppy powder and signaled Annabeth with a flare. She thrust the rod upwards and it exploded like a firework just above her balcony. It made no sound and only flashed a blinding white light that lasted for about two seconds.

She saw the princess's blond head peak out the side of the railing and waved at her, then signaled for her to wait.

Rachel shivered, letting out a shaky breath. It was cold at night. She wrapped her cloak around her shoulders tighter and pulled her hood down lower over her face. She didn't want to do this, but she wanted to save Percy. She had to admit he had earned her fancy. Once she even thought that she loved him, but she saw how happy he was with Annabeth.

Now that was true love. No truer love than what they had.

But she had no intention to take him for herself. She fancied him, but didn't love him. It would break her own heart to see him and Annabeth drift apart. She wanted to help, but she wasn't so sure if she was doing just that or causing more pain.

She was pulled from her thoughts when the princess landed on the ground next to her, feet perfectly positioned and glove-covered hands wrapped firmly around a rope that seemed to be tied up to the balcony's railings.

"Let's go?" The princess inquired. Rachel nodded and the two picked their way across the grassy courtyard, careful not to stumble on any rocks or bumps.

They passed Argus and These, still slumped against the gate, and turned left away from the cobble stone road. They passed in between the houses and stores as to not be seen.

It was dark. Their only light sources were the fires of the lamps and candles that could be seen flickering within half-closed windows. Rachel had her hand around Annabeth's wrist, leading her steadily through the houses. They were passing the Den now, and Rachel did her best to avoid the Jacksons' house.

They made their way around town past the Den, heading for a grassy hill close to the inner walls of the kingdom.

Even in the almost nonexistent light of the moon, tents could be seen placed about the hill. It had a gentle slope that could've easily passed for a slant in the road. Only dim lights could be seen flickering inside some of the tents. No one seemed to be awake- and that was good.

Annabeth and Rachel drew closer to the clump of tents for the wounded. There were green ones, blue ones, red ones, and purple ones. They were improvised cloth made to withstand the wind and rain. They were of a thick material so they could absorb sound quite well. It helps to keep out evesdroppers and lets people grieve in peace for their loved ones.

Then they found his tent. It was about ten feet tall, as with the rest, and was made of a material that could have once been velvet, now worn and filled with patches. The two slipped in the flap and left no trace of their presence behind them.

Inside, Annabeth was surprised to find the place all set up. There were two lamps flickering dimly on wooden tables placed on either side of the bed. Nico Di Angelo stood by one, dark hair plastered on his face and eyes looking sad and weary. He seemed to be clad in all black, making his ghostly complexion stand out.

Lying on the bed was the motionless form of none other than Percy Jackson. He was even paler than Nico and didn't seem to be breathing at all. Bandages were wrapped around his body- his torso, arms, legs, and head. Some of his wounds still bled and looked newly inflicted. Annabeth knew his condition was getting worse by the second.

Hidden partially in the shadows was a man Annabeth didn't recognize. He had a lean and tall build. He seemed to be clothed in white garments and his blond hair was fixed up. His eyes were the color of the morning sky- a blend of turquoise and gold, which seemed to amaze Annabeth. But he stared at her intently, as if deciding her fate in a court trial.

"Apollo," Rachel spoke, her voice soft and cautious.

"Rachel," the man, Apollo, replied. His voice was smooth and kind, but held a hesitant edge. "Princess Annabeth." He nodded in her direction. Then he turned his attention back to the redheaded girl. "You do know that this will take her life."

"Maybe not." Rachel defended. "She's stronger that most. She will live through."

"She _might _live through." The man corrected. He gave the princess a once-over and continued. "But I do not doubt your judgment. She has a strong spirit, and if we do this correctly…" he trailed off, examining Percy now.

In the silence, Annabeth silently tried to recall anything she might have heard about _Apollo._ Rachel mentioned her mentor. No doubt, this was him. Rachel talked about him as carefree and playful, but Annabeth guessed she was seeing his professional side. He was serious about these things, and maybe a little hesitant. She couldn't blame him. He was restoring one's life by taking another.

"You don't have to do this." Nico suddenly spoke up. His voice was solemn and quavered a little. "I-I can try to-"

Apollo cut him off. "For the last time Nico, you _can't_!" his sudden outburst startled Annabeth, but the dark-eyed boy didn't even flinch. "Your life force can't sustain him. He's far too gone to be brought back by anyone other than her." He gestured to Annabeth. He took a deep breath and turned to the princess. She guessed the two have had this argument before.

"Princess Annabeth," he said. "Are you sure you want to do this?"

Something stirred inside of her. She suddenly felt a surge of adrenaline and determination. She wanted to save Percy, and she was going to do just that.

"Yes." She said it surer than she'd ever said anything in her life. "I love him."

It was brief, but she thought she saw Apollo smile, just a crack before he was grim and serious again. But as for Nico and Rachel… they were grinning like crazy. Maybe she would've smacked them if she wasn't about to die.

"Rachel," Apollo spoke to his apprentice. "You know what you have to do."

Rachel nodded and plucked two vials from Nico's hands that Annabeth didn't notice he was holding before. They were just a tad smaller than her palm. One had strange blue liquid inside while the other was empty.

Apollo and Nico stood to the side, partly covered in the shadows, ready to watch.

Rachel took her place on one side of Percy's bed and motioned for Annabeth to stand opposite of her. She looked down on Percy's face and felt her heart pound loudly against her chest. She thought of everything they could've had if only… if only she lived. She knew in her heart that she wasn't going to survive this. But she was ready for that.

"This is how it's going to work." Rachel said. She held up the empty vial. "We need to get your life force into this. And to do that, you have to drink this first," she held up the vial with the strange blue liquid. "Then you'll feel like you need to spit something out or feel like you're going to puke. Just spit it out in this empty vial, and Percy needs to drink that up."

"Ew." Annabeth muttered.

"It's your life force. But it won't be truly taken from you yet when you put it in the vial. It has to be _you _and only you who makes Percy drink it. That way, you're willingly giving up your life to save him. Only then will you feel it draining from you and only then will your fate be decided." She paused, handing Annabeth the blue vial. "So, are you sure about this?"

She took it. "More than anything."

She brought the vial to her lips. It smelled like mint and roses, but something else altogether. Up close, she could see the small foamy bubbles forming as the liquid sloshed around its glass container.

It was cold and smooth. She let it flow down her mouth and throat. It tasted like water, but thicker. It was like drinking water-flavored syrup. She drained the vial and handed it back to Rachel.

"Do you feel anything?" Rachel asked, glancing nervously at Apollo.

"I-" she got cut off when she felt something warm stuck in the back of her throat, like some spit she needed to get out. She coughed once, twice. Then she felt it rising up her throat, ready to launch by the third cough. She grabbed the empty vial and spit whatever was in her throat into it.

"Ugh, what the heck…?"She trailed off, seeing what was now in the vial. It was glowing silvery-gold, like there was a firefly stuck inside, but the light was constant and brighter than any firefly's light.

Annabeth was speechless, and so was Rachel.

"I did it right." The redheaded girl muttered. She looked up at her mentor and was pleased to see a satisfied grin upon his face. It was that look that said _good job, I'm proud of you. _She wanted to squeal right then and there, but she remembered the task at hand and wiped the giddy smile off her face.

"Annabeth," she said. "It's up to you now."

The princess knelt at the fallen hero's side. She cupped his cheek and gazed at him, maybe for the last time. She kissed him, tears forming in her eyes. She knew what she had to do.

"I love you, Seaweed Brain…" she sat up and held the vial, her hands quivering. She closed her eyes. "As long as you're okay…"

"What… What happened to 'as long as we're together'?'"

* * *

**Ha. Haha. Longest chapter and I still managed to end it with a cliffhanhger. Hahaha.**

**No, seriously, this is good. I'm very, very, very, undecided if Percy lives or not so please send in some reviews about that. There's still time to save him…**

**~ Apollo'sFabDaughter**


	35. Chapter 35

**Oh, look at that. New chapter!**

**Let's do this. But just so you know… I'm writing this blindly. Meaning I'm going to decide their fates once I get to that specific paragraph. Wish me luck! **

* * *

_**Chapter 35**_

Annabeth almost dropped the vials.

He was looking at her with those sea-green eyes. His lips were cracked and he was still as pale as chalk, but his eyes held a whirlwind of emotions. He was angry, sad, annoyed, hopeless, but above all he felt confusion.

He'd heard everything that went on around him, and he felt so completely useless. It had taken him all of his strength to wake up and have a good look at her. It killed him.

No, not literally.

It was just the guilt eating at him from the inside. He saw how desperate she was to save him. He saw how little he could do about it. He saw how useless he was, how stupid he was. He'd failed to save what mattered most in the end- Annabeth.

_It would kill her..._

_It _might _kill her…_

Oh, what's the difference? She'd be risking her life one way or another.

It was clear to Percy that she didn't want to talk about this or she'd break down. She just wanted him to drink her 'life force', the strange glowing light in the vial.

"Wh-what about it?" Annabeth asked, her voice quivering. Percy had almost forgotten his earlier question. Here she was, about to die, and still managing to look as beautiful as ever- another reason why he loved her.

"If you die…" Percy tried to speak as best he could. His throat was raw, his voice was raspy, but he still managed to talk. "If you die, then how… how will we be t-together?"

Annabeth looked like she was about to burst into tears. "I don't… I-it doesn't matter!" she half-screamed. Rachel, Nico and Apollo were watching the scene with interest and curiosity, but they didn't dare interrupt. "You… after everything y-you've done for me… at least… th-this is the least I can do to p-pay to back."

Percy shook his head defiantly. "No. That's… that isn't the way you should pay me back. That… that isn't the answer." He coughed. "I need you, but here, with me. I-I don't want you gone…"

"Percy," her voice was soft and quiet. She leaned in, offering him the glowing vial. He turned away. "Please, it's okay. Just let me go." She whispered.

He looked at her, complete seriousness filled the once happy-go-lucky eyes that now bore into her very soul.

"Never."

Then came the coughing. The blood. His wounds started to bleed again. There was pain, there were screams.

They had to hold him down as death was taking its toll on him, closing up his throat with his own blood, forcing his life force to face rapidly.

His lungs hurt, his neck hurt, hell his whole body hurt.

Annabeth knew she had to act now, or she'd fail. She took the vial as they steadied him. She let the liquid trickle out.

She didn't care about the blood, or how weak he was. All she knew was that she loved him, and that she wanted to save him. She threw the old 'as long as we're together' rule out the window. He deserved better anyway. Maybe someone who wouldn't drag him into all her problems and get him killed in the end.

He calmed down as the thick, silver-like syrup trickled into his mouth and down his throat. He swallowed hard and saw the red tinges at the edge of his vision fade to black. Then, it engulfed him. The pain stopped, his breathing stopped, his movements stopped, and time stopped.

Everything was still. Nobody made a sound, nobody moved.

Then she felt it.

It was just a nagging feeling of exhaustion at first. Then rapidly it grew into a full-scale energy-drain. Her vision blurred and her head pounded against her skull. Her legs failed her and she collapsed.

She was done for, she knew it.

* * *

Three days.

Three agonizing days.

Percy immediately woke up after Annabeth collapsed. They'd managed to sustain her and get her into her room after the physicians were done working on her. And Percy stayed there for three days straight.

He felt better. He was energized and healthy. His wounds had closed up and there wasn't a single bruise on him. Annabeth's sacrifice… it had worked. If only she would live to see it.

It was, apparently, her turn to fall into a coma. He really should have just died and this mess wouldn't have happened.

He honestly preferred the pain of choking on his own blood compared to being forced to watch Annabeth die slowly.

Her parents didn't blame him, though they grieved. There were times when her breath was so shallow it seemed that her breathing had stopped and Percy would panic. It was as if she was dead.

Gazing upon her now, she reminded Percy of that old tale about _Sleeping Beauty. _The description fit- in a seemingly endless sleep, blond curls, beautiful princess, destined to be awoken by a true love's kiss…

Hmm… maybe if he tried that-

The silver oak doors groaned on their hinges as they were pushed open. Percy glanced up from his seat next to Annabeth's bedside to look upon the visitor.

The man wore a white suit decorated with a single stripe of navy blue. He had short cropped blond hair, sky blue eyes, and the unmistakable scar that ran from under his left eye to his jaw.

Percy recognized him immediately.

"Luke Castellan." He said coldly. He stood abruptly from his chair and glared at the prince. "What do you want?"

Luke raised his arms in surrender. "I'm no threat. I don't mean any harm." He said. "I just want to see Annabeth for a while, make sure she's okay."

"Well you've seen her. Now leave." He growled.

Luke looked dejected and had a hint of sadness in his eyes. He sighed. "I'm sorry, okay?" he said as he run a hand through his hair. "I just feel really guilty about playing at her like that. But I didn't love her, and I don't love her now." He looked up at the young knight who was still glaring daggers at him. "What I'm trying to say is, she belongs to _you_ and my intentions are strictly innocent."

"She doesn't belong to anyone but herself." Percy sneered, his anger clearly having not died down. "Tell me what you really want."

"I want to say goodbye to her personally before I leave, and maybe be left alone with her for a while." He said cautiously. "You need a break, Percy. I know you haven't slept at all for three entire days. I'll watch her, I swear upon my life I won't let any harm come to her. I won't touch her or any of her things. She'll be fine, I promise."

Percy raised his eyebrow. He felt like he could trust Luke, despite how much he had thought Annabeth loved him. He needed a break, but he didn't want to leave her. But she'd want him to have a break, he knew that. He sighed, caving in.

"Thirty minutes." He said. "One hour tops. If she wakes up, ring the bells." He said and left the room, shooting one last glare at the prince.

* * *

He snuck down along the staircase. Annabeth and Thalia had taught him about the palace's secret passages. It was a big place, so there was a lot even the king doesn't know.

He spiraled down the narrow flight of steps and finally came to an old wooden door. There was no knob and had a tarp covering the other side. Percy pushed it open and dust immediately clouded his vision.

The kitchen was huge, roughly the size of Percy's own home combined with the neighbors'. Dim candle lights illuminated the kitchen and provided Percy some light after the dark stairwell. It was void of people, but filled with food.

The smell of freshly baked bread and hot stew filled Percy's nostrils. He immediately grabbed a prepared bag of cookies from the countertop lined with baked goods. He took an apple and a slice of guava from a fruit bowl. He took a swig of milk from a cup and dashed off with his stolen snacks in hand.

Percy climbed out of the kitchen and out the side-door that led directly to the gardens. He walked in and out of the hedges, taking large bites out of his apple. He'd thrown the core away a few minutes after he'd emerged from the kitchen. Yes, he was _that _hungry.

He finally reached the crumbled side of the palace's wall. He breathed in the familiar afternoon air. He finished off his guava, fastened the bag of cookies to his belt, and began to climb up from the base of the make-shift staircase all the way to the tree's biggest branch.

He laid there, panting heavily as he soaked up the afternoon sunlight. He stared up at the canopy of leaves above him and listened to them rustling in the wind.

After a short while, he opened the bag of cookies and began to munch on them one by one. He immediately finished them after about five minutes and tossed the bag off the tree.

Percy sighed and sat up, almost falling off the tree. He gazed outward, onto the kingdom…

… then he noticed the flash of blue.

It was a blue ribbon swaying in the wind. It tied a letter to a shorter tree branch.

Percy, confused, untied the letter and took it in his hands. It was a letter for him, from Annabeth.

He almost choked. She wrote him a letter…?

He just stayed like that for a while, gaping at the piece of folded parchment in his hands.

Then, he made up his mind to unfold it


	36. Chapter 36

**Hiiii!**

**Just wanted to say it was my birthday last third of February. Yes. Me. **_**MY BIRTHDAY. **_**Just wanted to say. **_**MY BIRTHDAY. **_

**Okay, please keep reading.**

* * *

_**Chapter 36**_

The first thing she registered was the ceiling. Then she realized it wasn't a tent.

Then she realized she was lying in velvety sheets. Then there was a bandage around her head. And her head hurt. Badly.

Then there was the blurry image of a man in a white suit sitting next to her. She squinted, hoping to get a more focused image.

And then she almost screamed. Almost.

"Wh-what are you doing here?!" she shrieked, scrambling to sit up.

"Woah, woah, calm down." The blond man raised his arms in surrender. "I-it's okay. I won't hurt you Annabeth."

She was about to scream at Luke and chew him out, but a sudden thought occurred to her.

"Where's Percy?" Her voice quivered. Was Percy still alive? Did her sacrifice work? She wanted to know where he was and she was scared out of her mind just thinking about what could've happened.

"He's alive, he's okay." Luke's voice was calm, but there was an edge to it. As if he was itching to tell her something he couldn't say. "He's been watching you for three days straight. He went to get something to eat since he hasn't eaten much the past days and I think he'll be back in about fifteen minutes, so-"

"Watching me?" Annabeth asked in disbelief. "For three days straight?"

"He refused to go home. I think Thalia brought him some soup he didn't finish from time to time." He sighed, obviously wanting to change the topic. "Listen, Annabeth, I just wanted to say that I'm sorry, okay? I never meant to bring trouble between you and Percy. He's a good guy, and you deserve him. I'm just…. I guess I'm just really guilty for… all that. Everything I've caused."

The princess's gaze softened, the storm in her eyes calming down. "Luke," she whispered, just enough for the both of them to hear, a small smile dancing on her lips. "I'm not really mad at you. Sure, you've caused trouble. But that's in the past." She sighed heavily. "God, it seemed so long ago. But yet, here we are, living on."

Luke smiled, sky blue eyes twinkling with mirth and relief. "Yeah." He said. "So… we're okay?"

"Yes."

"That's good."

There was a silence. Not an awkward, confused silence. But a comfortable silence which you can rest in, contented. Annabeth laid back in her sheets, eyes half-closed.

She felt a pain on the back of her head. It was throbbing faintly, but the pain increased with every pulse. It was growing. She felt sore, her muscles and joints feeling weakened all of a sudden.

She took a deep breath, her eyes were still closed.

Finally, she couldn't help it. She squirmed and shifted on her mattress.

She felt Luke's gaze on her even though she couldn't see him. After several more minutes of silence, the prince spoke.

"Annabeth, is something wrong?" he asked, inching closer, a look of concern on his face.

"No, no," Annabeth said with a little difficulty. "I'm…I'm fine." She waved him off. She took another deep breath, her eyebrows scrunching up.

"No." Luke said. "No, you're obviously not. I'm going to call the physician. You wait here."

"No, Luke I'm-"

Before the princess could finish her sentence, Luke stood abruptly from his seat and left the room, leaving Annabeth in annoyed silence.

She heard his footsteps fade down the hallway as he left her door wide open. "You couldn't have shut the door?!" she yelled in annoyance, which only proved to increase her painful headache. She got no answer.

Annabeth huffed. She fiddled with her thick blanket, twisting the fabric around her fingers. There was light reflecting from the silky material, allowing her to notice every strand of silk she could find woven into the fabric.

She looked up and saw the sunlight streaming in through the glass doors of her balcony.

"Fresh air." She muttered to herself. "Fresh air would help."

She lifted up her blanket and tossed it aside, swinging her legs over the side of her bed. She found herself in her light blue nightgown, the one that wasn't too loose yet wasn't too tight so it looked fairly nice on her.

She decided not to dwell on how she got in the dress.

Annabeth inched closer to the corner of her bed, grabbing the wooden post for support. She stood shakily, her knees feeling like jelly, but she managed to stand.

She was extremely weak, and probably shouldn't have gotten out of bed in the first place. She took two small steps, using the wooden pole for support. She took a deep breath and let go, wobbling a bit as she did so.

She took another breath and took an independent step forward.

Unfortunately, her foot gave way, twisted sideward and failed the rest of her body as well.

In short, she fell on her face.

"Are you kidding me?!" the princess screamed at the ceiling.

She knew she would be weakened, but she never imagined she would be _that _weak. Well, Rachel did warn her.

"It doesn't matter." She chided to herself. "At least Percy's okay."

Annabeth grabbed for the chair by her desk and pulled it closer with difficulty. She pressed her weight on it, trying to get up. And she did successfully, until she, of course, put her hand on the backrest causing the chair (and herself) to flip over.

"Ow…" she groaned, rolling off the chair. She decided to just give up and lay on her back, letting herself get comfortable on the soft carpeting of her room.

She could feel the pain in her arms, legs, and face, knowing new bruises were probably forming there already. She pushed her blond curls out of her face and stared up at the ceiling. She closed her eyes, sighing, and when she opened them again she was greeted with the familiar sight of confused looking green eyes and raven-black hair.

Percy looked at the chair and back at her, chewing half a cookie. He swallowed his food, wiped the crumbs off his face, threw his bag of cookies onto Annabeth's desk and picked the princess up bridal-style.

He was gentle and made sure not to put pressure on her newly-bruised arms and legs.

Annabeth expected him to scream out in concern, hug her tightly with dramatic reference, or even just scold her. But instead, she got a plain "Why?"

The princess blinked. "You're not even fazed by the fact that I'm conscious, out of bed, and on the floor?"

"Luke said you were awake. I spent all my excitement on the way here, sorry." He said. A playful smile was on his face as he set her down on her bed.

Annabeth couldn't tell whether he was joking or not. She was just happy to see him and hear his voice again. She finally felt safe, like she always did when he was around. She felt invulnerable and secure whenever he was close, and she was glad to have that feeling back after days of watching him die slowly.

"Thanks." She managed. Her headache was starting to fade despite the fact that she just fell on her face.

"Your bandage." Percy said. "It's bleeding."

He carefully unwrapped the bandage on her head and replaced it with a fresh one after cleaning up the wound on the side of her head. Percy came to rest at the edge of her bed, taking her hand in his which caused a pinkish tinge to creep onto her face.

"So," he started slowly. "How're you feeling?"

"Okay I guess." Annabeth muttered. "Just a little weak."

"Because falling flat on your face is 'a little weak'."

"Shut up." She said with a small laugh. After a long pause between them, she said, "Thanks, Seaweed Brain."

He looked up smirking. "What for? I should be thanking _you._ You saved my life." He squeezed her hand. "You're the best, you know that?"

They talked for a long while, even as the sun set over the kingdom. They chatted, laughed, told jokes and exchanged playful insults. Luke came in with Chiron at one point, he checked on her and then they left, leaving the princess and the knight alone once more.


	37. Chapter 37

**Hi. Im warning you: This story shall end before March. I have spoken.**

* * *

_**Chapter 37**_

"Morning, Wise Girl."

The doors creaked open just as Annabeth opened her eyes. Percy had stayed with her all night, as far as she could remember. She fell asleep on his shoulder as he hummed a quaint little tune to her, setting the oil lamp from a bright burn to a dim flicker. He must've left at some point, but that was okay with her- he needed the rest.

Annabeth's gazed moved to the door where Percy was just closing it behind him. The young knight still wore the same clothes as he had the previous day. His hair was disheveled and uncombed, but his eyes had that wonderful gleam and he had his signature grin plastered on his face.

He had in his hands a wooden tray that carried a bowl of heavenly-smelling soup, a slice of freshly baked bread, three cookies, a spoon and a bread knife and a glass of fruit juice.

He set the tray on a small table placed over the princess's outstretched legs. He set the food up for her, although she insisted that she could do it herself. Soon, she was eating her breakfast with gusto, relishing the taste.

"Mm… this… this is good!" She exclaimed, slurping up the remains of the soup and moving onto the bread, completely ignoring the knife and her table manners. She didn't care. She hadn't eaten for three days and she was _hungry._

Percy chuckled, watching her with amusement. "Careful there, you might get as overstuffed as Farmer D.'s pigs." He said.

"Shut up." She muttered and took a big bite out of the first cookie. "Almost as good as Aunt Sally's baking…mm…"

"Can I have some-" he started for the cookie platter, but the princess slapped his hand away.

"No." She growled. "My cookies. Besides, you had an entire bag of these yesterday!"

"Exactly. That was _yesterday."_

"I don't care. A bag's a bag."

Percy let her finish her breakfast without anymore interruptions, except for laughing when she spilled some of the juice on her clothes. He eventually took the tray and table away, placing them on the nightstand. She fished her some fresh clothes from her closet and left for a while to put the used dishes back in the kitchen and to let her change in private.

When he came back he found her on her bed in fresh clothes, legs folded beneath her. She looked up at him, eyes sparkling, and he swore his heart stopped beating for that one millisecond.

Percy sat down on the edge of her bed as he did the day before and took her hand.

"You know that… that letter up on the Tree?" he asked.

Annabeth blushed lightly. "Oh, yeah." She said. "You… you read it?"

"Yeah but… can I ask you this one thing? I mean if you don't want to it's fine but," he added the last part hastily and paused. Annabeth raised her eyebrows,_ What is it?_

"Can you read it? For… for me?"

The princess smiled, an immediate _yes. _She took the folded parchment from Percy and untied the blue ribbon. She cleared her throat, eyes flickering to him for a moment before beginning to read.

"_**Hey Seaweed Brain,**_

_**By the time you open this letter, I'll probably be gone, and you'll miss me like I miss you. I saw you in that tent each day… dying, coughing up blood. I want you to live. I hated seeing you suffer and my only wish is that you'd stop suffering any longer. So please, don't punish yourself when I'm gone. **_

_**Remember when we were kids? Remember the pond? You were the first person to ever make me smile in years. You were my only true friend, my best friend. And I guess now I look at you as something more.**_

_**No matter what happens, don't ever forget me, as I will never forget you. Stay my Seaweed Brain forever and I'll stay your Wise Girl. Remember your promise, okay? Lift up your chin, smile. And I promise that I will always love you."**_

She looked up at him, setting down the parchment. She cracked a grin.

"You're crying."

"Am not!" He growled, furiously wiping at his eyes. It was Annabeth's turn to laugh.

"But honestly," he added, sniffling a little. "That was an awesome letter. I love it."

"Really?" she beamed.

"Just like I love you."

"Cheesy."

"Shut up."

They laughed and looked at each other. They held their gazes, inching closer and closer to one another. He cupped her cheek, pulling her closer.

"You know I meant that, right?" he whispered, making Annabeth's skin tingle. He was so close to her now, only a lip's distance. Their foreheads touched and she could see every bit of green and a tad flicker of gold swirling in his eyes.

"Meant… what?" she whispered back, her heart doing five hundred jumping jacks a second.

"I love you." He closed that distance between them. Their lips pressed softly against one another, and that fleeting moment seemed to last for an eternity.

And it was over.

They looked at each other, grinning stupidly. Well, at least Annabeth _felt _like she was. All she could process at the moment was that she kissed Percy Jackson and it felt amazing.

"We'll stay together, forever." Percy whispered, voice low.

"I promise." She smiled, and with that their pinkies wrapped together in a sacred bond that can never be broken until the end of time by the oath of the two who made and protect this sacred promise.


	38. Chapter 38

"_**38 comes, 38 ends,**_

_**38 closes, 38 mends,**_

_**It be the last and final verse,**_

_**Brought by the curse of 38's words."**_

_**Lol. Just a hint for what kind of chapter this will be. Prepare thyself.**_

* * *

_**Chapter 38**_

Years passed, and the two remained together.

A typical love story, they say- A knight and a Princess. Only he wasn't a knight to begin with, but a lowly servant of the king. And she wasn't that princess who smiled and waved and fancied royal suitors, no. She was one who never smiled, was shy, and could snap one's neck if she had to.

They did not meet by gaze and fall in love at first sight. He didn't show of his strength or ride in on a white horse. She didn't swoon and giggle at his mere presence. No, none of that.

They met as children. They were friends, best friends. They made promises they kept and promises they didn't keep. They had times of fun and joy, and times of separation and mourning. They kept together no matter what life threw at them. They kept their faith and passed death.

They knew they weren't almighty and powerful. They knew they weren't perfect. They knew fear as they knew joy. They knew shame as they knew honor. They knew anger as they knew sorrow, and eventually, they learned how to smile.

They learned how to really smile. She learned how to be happy and find happiness even in a lifetime's worth of mourning. He learned how to value a single spark of joy in every person, and the value of a smile.

They weren't a typical love story. They were human, and they knew it. They weren't the figure of perfection like those in legends. They knew each others' faults and accepted them.

Because they knew the true meaning of a smile- it was a promise.

* * *

"Another sunset…" She mused, her head rested comfortably on his shoulder. "How many has there been…?"

Percy couldn't help but crack a smile at her small question. He looked at her for the hundredth time this day. Her golden curls fell about shoulders, flowing down her back. She wore her red and black dress of which the sleeves reached until her elbows. She wore trousers and boots underneath making it easier for her to climb and run. Her eyes… her beautiful grey eyes he would never get tired of looking at were half-closed, gazing off towards the horizon.

He couldn't help but gaze at the scenery before him as well. The sky was turning from a dazzling shade of orange to a dark, satisfying shade of blue. The clouds were pinkish in the light, taking up some space in the sky. The city below them seemed quiet and at peace as if the entire kingdom paused for a moment to marvel at the sunset.

The two lay snug against the trunk of the giant tree at the side of the castle wall. The captain of the guard had his arm around the princess's shoulders, hand twirling around nervously in her hair.

"Maybe the thousandth…." He muttered, breath tickling the top of her head. "Happy Birthday again, Wise Girl."

"You've definitely said _that_ for the thousandth time." The princess laughed.

"Still, you're like, twenty-five now." He chuckled lightly. "It only comes once a year. Enjoy it."

"We should be heading down." She sighed, peering up at the quickly increasing amount of stars. "It's night-time."

"Okay." Percy agreed and helped her down, but not before she pulled him into a kiss and thanked him for the best birthday ever.

"It's not over yet." He whispered.

* * *

"Where are we going?" Annabeth laughed as Percy led her down their worn path through the hedge mazes. She saw the fading blue stone ahead of her which marked the entrance/exit of the path. But before she could emerge from the hedges, Percy held her back and peered out as if suspecting an ambush.

After about three seconds, he turned back towards her, grinning. "Close your eyes." He said rather slyly.

"No." she immediately replied, not in the mood for surprises. But at that moment Percy gave her those irresistible puppy-dog eyes that seemed to reach into her very soul, and before she knew it she was being led through the grassy courtyard with his hands over her eyes.

She waited more or less patiently with the occasional growl every time she heard him snicker. Eventually she felt a rise beneath her feet and the familiar gurgle of water sounded in her ears. She knew exactly where they were.

Her hands found the cold stone railing of the bridge, the occasional moss patch tickling her fingertips. Then they stopped where Annabeth assumed was the middle.

"Keep your eyes closed." Percy said, a hint of excitement in his voice. His breath tickled her neck as his hands slipped away from her eyes, leaving the princess alone for a moment before resting them back on her shoulders. He slid them down her arms until they reached her hands.

She had her head on his shoulder now as he whispered in her ear, "Open them."

And so she did.

The sight she beheld amazed her even more than the sunset.

Fireflies, hundreds of them, flying hither and thither around the courtyard, little glows that seemed to match the stars above. They lit up the grass and leaves in a somewhat magical way, passing over the pond, resting on lily pads. Their lights seemed to bring everything to life.

Then she noticed all the little jars resting at the foot of the stone bridge, lids all opened. She couldn't help but feel somewhat giddy and light-headed.

"You… collected them all?" she asked, her voice but a whisper of fascination.

"For you." Percy smiled. "It took a lot of hedge-invasions, but it was all worth it."

" You sir," Annabeth turned and faced him, her hands in his. "Are the best." And she kissed him.

People said that when you kissed that one person, you feel like your heart is beating out of your chest and butterflies tie your stomach in knots. But Annabeth felt nothing like that. Well, sure her heart seems to skip a beat, but all the while she felt safe and secure. She felt at home, as if she can rest knowing that Percy would always be there for her, and she knew that she would always be there for him.

They pulled away, their foreheads touching. Annabeth stared once more into his sea green eyes, feeling herself melt into them. But then he did something unexpected.

He kneeled down on one knee.

He held her one hand, the other going to his pocket.

He pulled out a small, white box.

"Annabeth Chase, I know that you know I love you, and I will always love you no matter what. If you fall, I can't promise that I'll catch you, but I promise that you will never fall alone, and I promise that I will be there to break your fall. Because I love you, Wise Girl." Then he looked up at her, directly into her eyes which were starting to well-up with tears.

He opened the box. Inside was a beautiful golden ring that seemed to be lined with silver, and nestled on top was a beautiful blue gem that shined like moonlight.

"So do you want to build something permanent with me?"

.

.

.

.

.

.

.

.

.

.

.

.

.

"_Yes."_

* * *

**OKAY! **

**That's a wrap, people! (oh, wait, no it isn't.) **

**Well, that was fun to write! Almost took me a year… I hope you enjoyed it, everyone! Thank you oh SO MUCH to those who supported me in writing this! (looks at Cheska). I LOVE YOU ALL.**

**But to answer your question… nope. I won't be writing an epilogue. **

**As the great Rick Riordan put it, epilogues are stupid because they wrap up the story, giving it a proper ending, and that's not the way to do it. You want to have something to think about, to imagine some sort of new story, right? Well, what if I were to tell you that I'll be writing a **_**NEW STORY **_**based on **_**THALUKE IN THE SAME UNIVERESE AS THIS ONE.**_

**It'll be focusing on what happened before Thalia came to the kingdom and the progression of Thaluke throughout the plot of Smile. And who knows, you might get to see what happens after this chapter. Percabeth included. I'll notify when it's uploaded. **

**Also, it'll be titled **_**"Just Trust Me". **_

'**Till next time! Bye!**

**~Apollo'sFantabulousDaughterXD**


End file.
